Bad Things Part 2
by nerf-battles
Summary: Sequel to 'Bad Things Happen for a Reason I Hope .' Inora and Hatori are finally happy, but for how long? Inora's past might creep up on her!
1. Chapter 1

(A/N): Hey! Here it is! Part two! I'm sooooo happy, I hope you are too. For all of those who don't know THIS IS A SEQUEL! I would highly suggest reading the first one first. Cuz you know… it was first. Lol. That one was called 'Bad Things Happen for a Reason (I Hope)' I know, I know. Reeeaaally long title. And I also know that this title is a little uninspired. But whatever. It get's the point across. Well I hope you like this one as much, if not more than the last one! Btw I have written a few more stories since that one so it should at least be written better… yay! ;)

"Hatori, stop hogging Inora," Shigure whined from the other room. "I invited her as my friend, not as your wife."

"But she is my wife," Hatori called back, his eyes twinkling at me.

"Yeah seriously, when you said 'come to the lake house' we kinda thought of it as a romantic trip," I called and Hatori hugged me closer to him. We were cuddled up on the couch in the living room of the Sohma lake house. Hatori and I had only been married a few months, Shigure shouldn't expect too much from us. But still…

"He does have a point though you know," I said to Hatori. "We can be together at night, but we should be with them during the day." I stood and fanned myself with my hand, it's too hot out to be cuddled up anyway. Hatori sighed and sat up.

"I'd rather be with you then those two," he mumbled.

"Awe, you're so sweet," I said and bent to give him a quick kiss before going into the room with Shigure and Ayame.

"Well it's about time," Aya said with a smile. "I thought you two were working on children in there."

"Ugh, as if," I groaned. "I would be a horrible mom." I plopped down at the table with them while they laughed.

"Don't say that," Hatori said softly from behind me. "You would be amazing." He sat next to me and brushed my hair back.

"He is right you know," Gure said after he finished laughing. I rolled my eyes at him and searched for a subject to get us away from my motherhood.

"Who wants to go swimming?" I asked.

"Me!" Gure and Aya said together. I looked at Hatori who was staring at the wall deep in thought.

"Hatori you cannot tell me that you don't like swimming," I said. I had noticed that even though the curse was lifted, all of the people who had been cursed still had their funny quirks. Kyo still hated rain, Aya still couldn't handle the cold, and Hatori still went nuts when I smelled like the ocean. Thank god.

"Yeah, I'll go," he said sounding distracted.

"Inora I couldn't help but notice the swimming suit you brought," Aya said.

"Yeah… what about it?" I asked.

"It doesn't do you justice," Gure said. "Aya and I bought you this." He held up a gift bag for me.

"And can I assume that because the bag is so tiny that this suit is way more reveling?" I asked.

"Yes you may," Aya said with a giggle. I stuck my hand in the bag and was unsurprised to pull out a string bikini. It was my favorite shade of purple. I stared at it for a second before Hatori tried to help.

"She doesn't need to be barely dressed to be beautiful. Her bathing suit is just fine," he said. He was the only person in Japan that knew why I would want to wear the one piece I had brought instead of showing off my body. I thought for another second then just shrugged and left to put it on, putting a hand on Hatori's shoulder when he tried to protest again. It was about time Aya and Gure knew, and this was a good of time and way as any.

I walked back into the room in my new swimming suit to a round of applause from Aya and Gure. Hatori stared at me with an odd mixture of desire and nervousness. I tried to give him a look that said that it was ok and he seemed to understand.

"Thanks guys, this is really cute," I said.

"Cute? You look stunning," Aya gushed.

"Yes, perfect I'd say," Gure said.

"Well thank you. Anyway, I'm going to head out, you guys can catch up when you're ready," I said and walked past them and opened the door that led to the path to the beach. As soon as I had my back to them I heard the gasp I had been expecting.

"Hatori can explain," I said over my shoulder before taking off down the path. I got to the water but I suddenly wasn't in the mood to swim. I knew that right now Hatori was telling them all the details of my past. Well of the accident anyway. I twisted my arm around so I could run my fingers over the scars that were on my lower back. I went and sat on a rock near the water, and I turned my back away from the path so they wouldn't see it again first thing.

Maybe I should have waited. Now that I really think about it I probably should have told them before they had to see it. It wasn't exactly pretty. And I could have waited another few weeks until Kyo, Tohru and Yuki came back for a visit. I have known them all for about a year and a half now and they still didn't know exactly what I had been through. Only Hatori knew. Ah Hatori. It's still astonishing that he is all mine.

(3rd person)

She didn't know how long she was sitting there before she finally heard voices coming down the path. She was glad to hear that they sounded cheerful. She didn't think she could handle it if Shigure and Ayame got all serious on her. She made her way over to where the path came out of the trees but came up short when she saw them.

"Well look at what we've got here," she beamed at them. "It's a bunch of 28 year olds. It must be my lucky day!" She always teased them about being 'old men' because they looked and, for the most part, acted way older than they were. But now they were in t-shirts and swim trunks, they honestly looked like they could be in college right now.

"And your suit actually makes it look like Ha'ri's not robbing the cradle," Shigure laughed.

"Shut up! I do not look that young," she glared at him. She knew he was just teasing though. He smiled back for a moment before his face fell sadly; he looked at her with those sad eyes for a moment before simply coming up to hug her. She glanced to Hatori for an answer but Shigure simply let her go a second or so later.

"Had to be done. Now, why aren't we swimming?" Shigure asked.

"Oh I hope the water isn't too cold," Ayame sang following Shigure towards the water. He paused when he reached her and threw his arms around her for a second as well before running to where Shigure was already testing the water. She watched them for a moment before she felt Hatori's arms wrap around her waist.

"You said I could explain, so I did. It took them a few minutes to even be able to talk again. They had no idea," He whispered in her ear.

"Thanks for telling them, but I didn't know they would act so…different," she said.

"They really care about you, you know," he said gently. She sighed watching her friend's wimp out around the water.

"Well come on, are we gonna stand around or are we gonna swim? It's been so long since the last time I went swimming," She said cheerfully. She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the water. The first time she came down here she had noticed that the rocks that jutted out into the lake from the shore would be perfect to dive off of. The water was so clear that you could easily tell it was deep enough. She dropped his hand and ran for those rocks, she didn't even hesitate as she sprung from the end and dove into the depths. She let herself float back to the surface.

"Well that felt good," she said and laughed, easily treading water. Hatori wasn't about to let her have all the fun. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to swim, but it had definitely been too long. He would never admit it, but Inora had been right, he loved swimming to no end. Being a seahorse for most of your life would do that to you. He ran out like she had and sprang off the end, as soon as he hit the water he felt like he was on some sort of drug. His head came back to the surface to applause.

"Inora looked prettier in her dive," Shigure called over to us.

"Well that is a huge load of bull," she called back.

"He said you looked prettier, not that your dive was prettier," Ayame laughed. Hatori simply rolled his eyes at his friends. He didn't know what they were talking about, her dive was spectacular. In fact he noticed now how easily she kept her head above water without even seeming to try. She looked very pretty in the water, maybe that was just the leftover seahorse in him. However, he couldn't help but wonder if she would make love to him in water sometime. He should look into buying a pool. While he was daydreaming, something he rarely did, Inora took her chance to dunk his head under the water.

"Hey," he sputtered and splashed her face, causing her to squeal softly and giggle. Shigure and Ayame watched from the shore, they had decided that the water was too cold for them.

"Who could have ever guessed that that girl had been through something like that?" Shigure asked Ayame. He couldn't deny that he felt a little guilty, he had sort of dated Inora before Hatori. He couldn't believe that such a key part of her past was just being reviled to him now.

"Indeed, it is tragic… but maybe having something like that in her past is what makes her so perfect for Ha'ri," Ayame said with a soft smile.

"Maybe your right…" Shigure agreed. They all stayed at the water until the temperature started to drop ever so slightly. They walked back to the house in high spirits, and lots of laughter. Inora had originally been worried about intruding, Shigure liked to go on about how epic their trio was in high school, but now she felt like she fit right in. Not that all of them hadn't hung out before, they had just never gone on a vacation like this.

As the evening wore on it was very clear to Shigure and Ayame that Hatori and Inora were trying very hard to keep their hands off of each other. Shigure guessed that Hatori was turned on from swimming, and that Inora could sense it somehow. He found it sweet that they were trying but he didn't really want them to. He was fine as long as he got to spend a little bit of time with them every day. He was about to say something when Hatori had obviously had enough.

"And that's my limit," Hatori said standing up suddenly. Inora looked up at him curiously from her spot on the couch. He didn't bother to explain; he ducked his head down and grabbed her waist. In a second he was standing upright again with Inora slung over his right shoulder, roaring in laughter.

"My legs aren't broken you know," she was able to gasp. Hatori just shrugged, causing her to laugh harder, and made his way out of the room. Shigure and Ayame laughed as they watched them disappear down the hallway and into their room.

"Do you think they really haven't talked about it?" Ayame suddenly asked Shigure.

"Hmm? Talk about what?" he asked distractedly.

"Having children. They acted like the conversation had never come up," Ayame said.

"I'm sure it has, but don't worry Inora didn't really mean that. She probably just wants to experience life before she's weighed down by kids. She is still quite young after all," Shigure said.

"It does seem to be that we all keep forgetting how old she is," Ayame muttered.

"Have you seen her around Momiji when he's having one of his bad dream spells? She has a better maternal instinct than half the women in our family," Shigure chuckled a little darkly, thinking of Momiji's mom in particular.

"Most definitely," Ayame said. They both froze, and couldn't help but giggle a little as they heard Inora's laughter turn into moans. Loud moans.

"Way to go Ha'ri," Shigure chuckled.

"Shigure?" Ayame asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"I was just wondering… how is it that you can still be such good friends with Inora after you two… dated?" Ayame asked. He knew he was being liberal with the term 'dated.'

"Ah yes. Inora and I never really felt any real feelings for each other, other than friendship of course. You know how I feel about Akito, that wasn't going to change. And for her, Hatori caught her attention well before she could even begin to develop feelings," Shigure explained.

"But didn't you two… you know. Isn't there even a little bit of awkwardness there?" Ayame was so curious, he had been wondering for a long time now.

"Oh no… well… sort of," Shigure searched for an explanation.

"Hatori," they clearly heard Inora moan from down the hall causing them to giggle again.

"We never had sex," Shigure finally said after catching his breath. "We did… other things, but she always kept us away from that. And I certainly never got her to make those noises." They were quiet for a time after that. They would never admit it but they were getting some serious guilty pleasure out of listening to Inora's moans. Suddenly there was a long string of them, silence, and then they heard Inora swear loudly in English. Shigure rolled his eyes, he thought she would quit doing that eventually but she seemed to really like the sound of American cuss words. A few seconds later Hatori emerged from the room, holding up his pants with his shirt undone.

"I'm sorry! Do you need help?" Inora appeared guiltily in to doorway behind him wrapped in a bed sheet. Ayame and Shigure gave each other a curious glance before looking back at the odd scene.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Hatori said gently before he bent and whispered something in her ear that made her smile in spite of herself. She backed into the room again and Hatori came down the hall. He regarded the two on the couch for a moment before disappearing into the kitchen. He came back a second later with his medical bag. He walked slowly over and dropped it in between Shigure and Ayame.

"Can you two act like adults for a minute?" Hatori asked.

"Probably not. Depends on what it is," Shigure said with a grin. Hatori sighed and sat on the coffee table in front of them with his back towards them. They watched curiously as he slid his shirt of his shoulders. Right below his shoulder blades there were four red marks on each side of his back. They stared at it for a moment before realizing what they were. And once they did they both slapped their hands over their mouths in an effort to muffle their laughter. Hatori sighed but other than that waited patiently for them to control themselves.

"Wow Ha'ri, I didn't know you were into the rough stuff," Shigure giggled.

"She didn't mean to. Her nails just dug in a little deeper then she thought," Hatori explained, he sounded like he was explaining something to a three year old. "Could you just hurry up and clean them?"

"Are you in a rush?" Ayame asked.

"Yes," Hatori said simply.

"Ha'ri you dirty old man," Shigure gushed.

"Actually it would appear that Inora is the dirty one tonight," Ayame said.

"Would you two just shut up?" Hatori sighed. Shigure finally took pity on him and began to clean his…wounds.

"Done," Shigure finally announced. Without a word Hatori disappeared down the hallway again. Shigure and Ayame didn't hear from them the rest of the night. Well… they didn't see them anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N): Ok so I'm just gonna say: Me(Sick+Work)=Sucky & no writing lol. Also you should be warned right now that I will be skipping weeks, even months, between each chapter for the entire story. This is necessary and you will see why around chapter 3. So sorry if time skipping bothers you, but if I didn't it would be sooo booooring. ;)

(Kyo's POV)

"That's great! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow," Inora's voice rang clear through the phone.

"Yeah Tohru wanted to surprise everyone," I muttered.

"Oh shut up, you wanted to see everyone too," she teased.

"Like hell I do! It's just one more night I have to stay with that damn dog!" I yelled into the phone.

"Uh huh," she muttered, but she sounded distracted.

"Listen I have something I wanna ask you, would you mind if I came over for a bit?" I asked. I knew she wouldn't mind, but from what I hear, her and Hatori are still all over each other.

"Huh? Oh, you're welcome whenever you want," she mumbled. Was it just me or did she sound out of breath?

"Good 'cause I'm almost there," I said.

"Yeah… Listen I'll talk to you in a little bit," she said in a rush and just like that the line was dead. Well that's weird, but whatever, she said I could come. I really needed to talk to her; she was really the only person I could ask about this. Shigure was too much of a pervert, Hatori would go all doctor on me, and Kazuma… it would just be weird. It will be a cold day in hell when I talk to the rat about something like this, we're better, but nowhere near that.

I just let myself into Hatori's… I mean their house. I always found it weird that Hatori didn't move out of the estate as soon as he was free. I know that he felt he could still do a lot of good for the family, but what has the family ever done for him? Inora said she thinks he'd be happier with a small clinic, somewhere where he could help as many people as he could. Maybe he'll still do that someday, but it's not like it's any of my business anyway.

"Hello?" I called in from the doorway. Everything was dark. Where were they? She said it was ok if I came…

"It's not even that late," I mumbled to myself as I checked my watch. I wandered slowly down the hallway. I had only been here a few times, and all of those times had been after they got married, but I knew about where everything was. As I was nearing the end of the hallway I finally saw a dim light shining out from under the door. If I remember right this is their bedroom, right? That was answered for me as noise hit my ears. Oh god, what do I do? I want to run like hell but my feet won't move. So there I was, staring at the door in horror and covering my ears like some damn kid.

But in some sick way, isn't this what I came to talk about? Maybe I'll learn something if I just listen for a sec. I slowly peeled a hand off of my ear. Bad idea. The noise hit me again though thankfully it seemed to unstick my feet. I sprinted down the hallway and had a hand on the front door before I forced myself to stop. It's really not that big a deal, it's not like she's being murdered by some horror movie monster. I sighed and forced myself to let go of the door. The living room, which was just to the right of the front door, should be far enough away for me to not hear anymore…

I wandered in and couldn't help but crack a small smile. Inora hadn't completely overrun his house but she had definitely made her presence known. Basically everything colorful, like the pillows on the couch and the blanket bundled up on the chair. I glanced over at the super nice T.V. that hung on the wall; on some shelves under it I was surprised to find several different game systems. Those had to be Inora's but… I didn't know she was a gamer. I was about to see what kind of games she had when my phone went off in my pocket.

"What the hell is your problem?" I 'answered'. I knew it was her without even checking, she had insisted on choosing her own ringtone for when she called.

"What do you mean? I said I'd call you in a sec," she said. God at least she could have caught her breath a little more before calling. I heard Hatori say something in the background that made her giggle. I resisted the urge to run again.

"No you said you'd talk to me in a sec after saying that I could come over!" I tried hard not to yell.

"Really? Hmm… I don't remember that, but ok! Where are you?" she asked sounding all excited.

"I'm in your living room idiot," I said while pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Oh!" she said and hung up. I stared at the phone for a few seconds like an idiot before putting it back in my pocket. I looked back to the games while I waited, a lot of them really looked awesome actually. It wasn't long before I heard someone come down the hall and looked up to see Inora come in still pulling her shirt down over her stomach. I really never understood how she was so… not shy about this kinda thing. But that's why I'm here.

"Kyo!" she squealed and tackled me into the couch.

"Hey! Get offa me!" I yelled out of habit.

"How come you never call?" she said ignoring my yell with a fake pout while she positioned herself comfortably in my lap.

"Do you have to sit on me?" I asked with a sigh.

"Seriously it's been so long, what have you been up to? How's your training? How's living with Tohru?" she asked in a rush. Pretty soon after Inora got married I left to do some more training under a master Kazuma knew so I would be ready to help, and eventually, take over for Kazuma. I still couldn't believe that Tohru had agreed to come with me.

"Geez lady. One question at a time," I complained. "I haven't been up to much besides training, which is going well, and I came to talk about Tohru."

"Talk about…" she looked at me curiously.

"Well… more ask you for advice about… something about her," I could feel myself blushing, good thing the lights still not on.

"Oh well I'm a fountain of wisdom and knowledge, ask away," she said dramatically. Oh great, the last thing I need is for her to start acting like that idiot, Ayame. She must have guessed what I was thinking from the look I was giving her because she added, "Sorry, I must be spending too much time with Aya."

"Whatever," I sighed. "Listen… it's about, um, you know." Ugh can't I just say it already? It shouldn't be that hard.

"No I don't know, can I at least get a hint?" she said with a chuckle.

"I got here earlier then you thought," I blurted, I don't even know where I was going with this.

"Yeah, I thought you were coming tomorrow," she said with a grin. It was so clear that she's happy to see me, that's nice.

"Obviously, you know you coulda warned me to walk around the block a few times or somethin," I mumbled.

"Oh I see, you heard us. Or really you heard me, he doesn't make much noise…" she trailed off in her own thoughts.

"Damn it! Can't you be a little shy about this stuff?" I yelled.

"Oooooh," she drew it out then started laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing about?"

"I'm sorry… you're just so obvious," she said while still trying to get her laughter under control.

"What the hell-" I started but was cut off by a voice from the door.

"Something amusing?" Hatori asked.

"Oh just Kyo being Kyo," Inora said brightly while messing my hair.

"And just what the hell does that mean?" I yelled while trying to squirm out from under her. That's not so easy, she's way heavier then she looks.

"I'll make some tea," Hatori sounded…amused, I don't think I'll ever get used to his lighter mood. He went to the kitchen and Inora turned to me with a knowing smile.

"So you think you're ready to have sex with Tohru huh?" she asked bluntly.

"Wha…" I couldn't form words. She hit the nail on the head. "Well not so much I'm ready… I've been ready."

"Ooooh. I see. So what you're saying is that you think Tohru might be ready to take that next step but…" she seemed to be having problems putting the last bit together.

"She knows nothing about it," I whispered.

"Right! So since she has no experience with this then you can't know for sure if she's ready! And even if she was you two… well it wouldn't be smooth."

"Right… I'm not gonna lie I don't know too much about it either," I blushed harder.

"Oh I don't think you have to worry about that too much. Basically you just let your instincts take over once you know the basics. I just don't think… Tohru would give in to her instincts like that."

"Right," I sighed again.

"You know what you have to do right?" she asked suddenly.

"No that's why I asked you."

"You have to talk to her about it. It might be a little awkward… but if you think you're ready to have sex, you have to be able to talk about sex. Once you talk about it though you can always tell her to come to me with questions," she beamed at me.

"Fine," I sighed. I had kinda hoped that there would be a different, simpler, answer to this. I knew all along there probably wouldn't be though.

"Hey, same goes for you too, you know," she said messing my hair again, this time I let her.

"So are those your game systems?" I asked, changing the subject. She just rode with it.

"Yeah," she said with a chuckle. "You should have seen Hatori's face when I got that box from Dan."

"Your uncle? Oh that's right you were staying with him," I said remembering her muscular uncle.

"Yeah! He finally sent them to me! I think he was using them while I was gone and didn't want to give them up. I totally danced around the house when I opened that box up then spent a solid hour setting everything up just right. Hatori had no idea."

"No idea of what?" I asked.

"That he married a nerd," she said and burst out laughing.

"You're not a nerd," Hatori said from the doorway. He set down the tea and took the chair, after throwing the blanket off onto the couch. I had to wonder… did he really not care that his wife was sitting on my lap?

"I am so. But it's ok, I've come to terms with it," she said still giggling.

"How does playing video games make you a nerd?" I asked.

"Well that's the 'gamer' part of my nerdyness. You see I also like Anime and Mengas, comic books and a lot of science fiction" she said happily.

"Some of those Anime's are quite cleaver," Hatori said simply.

"You watch that crap?" I shot at him.

"It's not all crap… though some of it is," she said thoughtfully.

"Whatever. Can you get off me now? I should get going. I don't wanna have to leave Tohru alone with that perverted dog for longer than I have to." I explained. I didn't really want to go back there, Shigure annoys the hell out of me, but I wanted to go back to Tohru. Inora and Hatori exchanged a look before Hatori finally spoke up.

"Kyo, you and Tohru are more than welcome to stay here if you wish," he said.

"Yeah it'd be nice to have you two here and I like to think we don't annoy you as much as Shigure," she beamed. It would be nicer to stay here, though I've never stayed inside the gate before. But whatever, it's not like that stupid gate means much now anyway.

"Thanks that would be… thanks," I mumbled. I wish I was better with words, but they seemed to get it.

"I'll drive you back and we can pick up your bags and Tohru," Hatori said.

"You might need a crowbar to get Shigure off of them," Inora joked.

(A/N): uuuuggghhh. Could not get his right! Sigh. Oh well. But hey! Everyone seems to get to hear these two go at it lmfao. At least they're loud enough that people don't actually walk in on them right? Haha anyway I hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

"Inora, are you ok?" Tohru asked sweetly from her place in front of the stove. I always find it weird, how at home and motherly she looks in the kitchen. She hasn't ever cooked at Hatori's house and she already looks like she belongs there.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just unfairly tired," I said and gave a huge yawn.

"Unfairly?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, I swear I slept forever but I'm still super tired. Actually it's been like this for about a week…" I trailed off in thought. I heard her gasp slightly before she dashed over to put her hand on my head. It took me a second to realize that she was feeling for a fever.

"Are you sick? You don't feel too warm but that doesn't mean that something isn't wrong," she stumbled over her words in her mild panic.

"Calm down, geez. I'm just tired. Don't go making claims of me being sick lightly, Hatori will freak out," I said, pulling her hand gently from my head. I was touched that she was so concerned but she overreacts too much.

"Well maybe you should let him look at you if it's been for so long…" she was obviously really worried.

"He already has 'looked' at me," I said with a wink.

"Oh?" I couldn't help but laugh a little. She was taking my words at face value but didn't understand the wink. I thought about just leaving it but then I thought back to the conversation I had with Kyo a few nights ago. I decided to test the waters a little; maybe I could at least find out if he had brought it up to her.

"That was a sexual reference," I stated bluntly and I watched in amusement as Tohru blushed fiercely and babble out a string of complete nonsense. As she tried to compose herself I wandered over to the fridge, my stomach protesting loudly at the lack of food.

"Do you want me to make you something?" she asked, finally regaining control of herself.

"No… there should be some leftovers I can just grab," I said and threw open the door. I leaned down so I could see all of the shelves, sticking my head slightly inside. As soon as the smell of the food hit my nose an intense wave of nausea hit me. I slapped my hand over my mouth and ran out into the hall, crashing into someone. I realized it was Hatori as his concerned voice mixed in with Tohru's. I paid neither of them any mind as I hurtled down the hall and into the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before I was violently sick.

I felt someone gather my hair and hold it back, but I was far too busy wondering how I could have been so hungry with this much in my stomach. Let alone how I could go from being starving to hurling in less than thirty seconds. As soon as I finished I stayed in my shaky squatting position for a few seconds while I desperately tried to catch my breath. I shoved myself up and over so I could sit on the edge of the bathtub and let my head fall into my hands.

"Inora, here," Hatori's voice was tight with concern as he took one of my hands and put something cold in it. I looked from the glass of water in my hand to my husband's face with a weak smile. I knew he would act like this but I still loved it.

"Something must have gone bad in the fridge… I don't know why else that would have happened," I said.

"But you've also been tired all week right?" I looked up to see that Tohru had also followed me down the hall.

"I had seen that, but I just figured it was because you're not sleeping well…" Hatori said, his voice heavy with guilt.

"Not sleeping well? It seems to me like I've been sleeping for way longer than usual," I said and sipped at the water. I seem to be ok now…

"You've been sleepwalking. I will wake up to find you out in the hall… one time you tried to… 'rescue' me from the bed… which you seemed to believe was on fire," he said slowly. He knew I didn't like to talk about my nightmares.

"When was that? And why didn't you tell me? I had no idea…" I knew I talked in my sleep sometimes, and I would thrash if it was about the accident… but I had never gone as far as bodily moving someone.

"Two nights ago, and I guess I just didn't want to remind you of your dreams…" he explained, his voice and eyes still laden with guilt.

"It's not your fault. Hmm… two nights ago, Oh yeah, I remember. It was…" I trailed off and looked at Tohru. I had almost forgotten she was there.

"I'll go check for anything that's gone bad," she said brightly, seeming to pick up that this was personal. She left with Hatori's and my muttered thanks to check and, knowing her, obsessively clean the fridge.

"I had the dream again but different," I started quietly. "The car crashed and caught fire, just like always, but then it changed. Usually I just lay there and watch the car burn and… hear my parents scream, but this time I was able to get up. I ran back to the car to help but all I found was you there, so I tried to pull you out," my voice was shaking, little more than a whisper most of the time. He wordlessly pulled me against him and rubbed his hand soothingly up and down my back. I looked up in time to see Kyo in the doorway; he gave me a rare soft smile when he caught my eye. Despite what he says he loves seeing Hatori and me like this.

"Was that you making that noise a while ago? I thought a whale had beached itself in the bathtub or somethin'," Kyo said, his smile turning into more of a smirk.

"Oh, shut up. It was not that bad," I said with a laugh. "Actually I feel just fine now. I don't know what that was." I went over to the sink and brushed my teeth with Hatori hovering nearby. I could tell from the look on his face that he was trying to figure out what could be wrong with me. After I was finished I set down the toothbrush with a sigh, I was about to tell him to stop worrying but I was interrupted by my stomach snarling.

"You're hungry?" he asked confused.

"Yeah. I was already hungry before… I wonder if Tohru found anything," I wondered. I made a beeline for the kitchen with Hatori following until there was a loud, demanding knock on the door. I heard him sigh, from the knock we could tell that it was either Shigure or Ayame, and he went to answer the door instead. I went through the kitchen door to find Tohru on her knees in front of the fridge scrubbing with all her might. All of its contents were placed neatly on the counter next to it.

"Tohru, you didn't have to go through so much trouble," I said with a sigh.

"Oh it's no trouble at all. I went through all the food and couldn't find anything wrong so I decided to just wash it out," she said and beamed at me.

"Do you want any help?" I knew she wouldn't but I still felt the need to ask.

"Oh no, I'm fine," she said cheerfully. I nodded and went to wash my hands before making myself something to eat. The scent of soap wafted up to my nose and I froze. It smelled the same but different. Some insane part of me wanted to lick it right off my hands.

"Smell this," I said abruptly and shoved my soapy hands under her nose.

"It smells like soap…" she was so confused.

"Well yeah but… man, I must be hungry if I want to start eating soap," I said with a laugh and rinsed off my hands with a nagging regret in the back on my mind.

"You're craving… soap?" she asked hesitantly.

"I guess so. Weird huh?"

"You're tired all the time, threw up without being sick, your sleepwalking every night and now… you want to eat soap," she explained slowly.

"Wow. Weird week for me I guess," I laughed.

"Inora?" she asked, her face breaking into a beam.

"Yeah?" Why is she suddenly so happy?

"Are you… pregnant?" she clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked like she was going to start bouncing. I stared at her. There is no way in hell I'm pregnant. Right? I don't know how long I stood there frozen looking at her, but she eventually stopped beaming in favor of a more concerned look. She reached out slowly to touch my shoulder. With an effort I shook myself out of the shock and hurried out of the kitchen again. I heard voices in the living room and I burst in looking around wildly. Both Shigure and Ayame had shown up and Hatori was sitting with them. I rushed right over to him, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him out of the chair.

"Inora wha-" he started but I franticly cut him off.

"We need to go to the store. Now!" I almost screamed in my panic. He didn't ask again, and we were out of the door within a minute.

I hurried down the aisles with Hatori right behind me. We had spent the whole car ride in silence though I could tell he was dying to ask me what was wrong. When I came to an abrupt halt and turned to look at the shelf I heard him gasp slightly. A second later his hand slid into mine and we just stood there staring down all of the pregnancy tests.

"Are you sure?" he asked finally.

"Well no. That's why we're here," I winced at my condescending tone. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"I understand," he said gently. He let go of my hand in favor of wrapping it around my shoulders and I felt him gently kiss my hair.

"Ok 'doctor' which one should we get?" I asked, looking back at the vast amounts of tests. He was silent for a moment then his hand shot out and grabbed a box. We walked back down the aisle with his arm still around me and started back home. I wondered vaguely if I could put off the test but… Hatori had other plans.

As soon as we were in the door he began guiding me to the bathroom, and away from everyone's questions. From what I could make out of all the questions being thrown at me Tohru must have told them why I was acting so weird. Everyone followed me down the hall, I was about to snap if they didn't give me space soon. I was insanely overwhelmed. As soon as I reached the bathroom I rounded on everyone.

"All of you get lost. I'm serious. I need some space and if I don't get it I'm gonna start throwing punches," I gave them a warning glare before slamming the door in everyone's face. I let out a nervous chuckle as I looked at the box in my hand, then a real one as I remembered that even Kyo was standing on the other side of the door. It was nice that they all cared but is a little privacy too much to ask? Whatever, nothing I say will make any of them leave that spot.

I never realized before now how awkward taking these tests were. Once I finished I set it on the counter and backed away as if it were a bomb. I tried to ignore the voices on the other side of the door as I counted in my head. After the time was up I waited a while longer just in case, but I had to look eventually. My knees were shaking hard as I took the two steps to the counter; I took a deep breath and looked down at the little stick. It was positive.

How did this happen? I'm on the pill and I never forget to take it for this very reason. How do I tell Hatori? Will he be happy or will he be just as unprepared as I am? I'm only 21, is it selfish of me to want to live a little before having a kid? I just need to calm down. Pills aren't 100 percent effective, and this is happening regardless of my age and whether or not I want it. As for Hatori… the only way to know is to suck it up and tell him. In the back of my mind I knew I was pregnant as soon as Tohru mentioned it, and I have a feeling Hatori knew as soon as he saw the tests.

I grabbed the test, part of me wanting to crush it in my hand, and made my way slowly to the door. I heard everyone still on the other side; I didn't want to deal with them yet. I threw open the door, grabbed Hatori's arm and pulled him roughly inside before slamming it again. With a shaky hand I gave him the test. I watched his face closely as he took it and stared at it for what seemed like forever. Suddenly his face broke into a huge grin and he threw his arms around me. He actually picked me up and spun me around once before setting me back down.

"We're going to have a baby," he sounded close to tears and I heard him laugh. His real laugh. I hid my face in his chest. He was so happy, I didn't want to ruin this moment for him. I'm not ready for this. I'm too young. How can anyone honestly trust me with raising an innocent, helpless baby? Hatori threw open the door and joyfully told everyone the news. There was an eruption of 'congratulations' and suddenly I was being passed around for hugs. They must have taken the look on my face for shock or something. I finally stumbled over to Kyo and he gave me a warm hug. When he let me go I slowly looked up into his face and saw his smile vanish.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked softly, concern etched into his face.

"No," I choked out before running out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N): So I meant to make a note on the last chapter about my knowledge but I forgot. My bad. I have never been pregnant my own self so any symptoms I have mentioned are just from things I have heard so sorry if any of them are...unrealistic. Also I have been told by someone (my aunt lol) that this chapter is 'really mushy' so please, please, please let me know if you think that as well cuz I'm trying for realistic love not 'fairy tale love' if you know what i mean.

(Hatori's POV)

I am going to be a father. I never believed I could feel like this again, the last time being when I saw Inora walk down the aisle at our wedding. A euphoric high with a large dose of pride mixed in. A child, a baby boy or girl, to love and protect. I felt tears escape as Shigure and Ayame patted me on the back and chatted excitedly, though through my daze I couldn't make out what they were saying. Finally, a concerned voice in the sea of excitement cut through my fogged mind.

"Hey, are you ok?" Kyo muttered. Ok? Who couldn't be ok at this moment?

"No," I whipped around as the sound of Inora's choked voice cut through me like a knife. I had only heard that voice from her on one other occasion; it was the voice of when she was trying to hold back her tears. Before I even realized what was happening she squirmed out of Kyo's embrace and ran down the hall and out of the house.

I stood there dumbstruck before my brain was able to start catching up. She was upset, that much was obvious. But why? Women in this position are known to be emotional so she left so no one would see her cry. Everyone knew about this particular quirk of Inora's, no one could see her cry. Well no one other then myself anyway. But that still leaves the question of why she would be crying. Joy? Or maybe… no, that couldn't be it.

"What the…" Kyo trailed off staring at the door, indeed everyone was staring at where she had just vanished. I forced my feet to move down the hall and outside after her. I scanned the yard and quickly found her sitting against the fence, her arms wrapped around her stomach and her knees propped up with her forehead resting on them. As I drew closer I saw her shoulders shaking with her sobs. It felt like my heart sank and settled somewhere around my navel, from the way she was curled in on herself it was clear it wasn't tears of joy.

"Inora," I whispered and she jumped slightly as if I had shouted at her. She slowly looked up at me, her eyes were already red and her face damp but what concerned me more was that her expression was full of shame, guilt, and fear. I practically flung myself to my knees at her side and gathered her up in my arms.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed and for a second I thought she was trying to apologize for crying. "I… can't. I can't, I'm not… ready." She cried harder and turned her head into my chest. She says she can't. My mind struggled to find her meaning as I rubbed her back waiting for her to calm down. She couldn't possibly mean… that she doesn't want the child. Right?

"Inora?" I asked softly once she had calmed a little. "Do you not want the child?" Silence. "You don't… love our baby?" I choked out. I don't understand. There is no way she doesn't love our baby. I already love it, how could I not? It is a creation of Inora and myself. Our baby will be perfect. I felt her stiffen in my arms, my heart felt like it was going to shatter. Then quite suddenly she scrambled up to her knees and grabbed the front of my shirt. Her eyes pleading with me as she looked into mine.

"Hatori, I already love it. That's why… I can't. I'm only 21 how can anyone trust me with a kid? I don't deserve to be trusted with and innocent, helpless child. You know I make mistakes; I'm not responsible enough to be trusted. Don't you understand?" I almost laughed with relief.

"That's what you're worried about? That you won't be a good mother?" I asked.

"Well… yeah," she blushed and looked away, and it was then that I noticed that she had a certain…glow about her. She loved the child inside her. She was simply concerned about her parenting skills. I know for a fact that she would be an amazing mother; all it will take is for me to prove it to her. Then it came to me, it would be perfect, and I couldn't help but grin. However, I still needed to help her in this moment before I could do that.

"Yes, you have made some mistakes but that's what will make you a better mother than someone who hasn't. You're mistakes have taught you responsibility despite your age. Do you think I would have married you if you were immature? If you love the child, you will do what's best for them. I know you will be amazing. Also," I grabbed her chin so I could look right into her eyes, "You're not alone."

The look on her face was priceless. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red, then she closed her eyes and I could tell she was silently reprimanding herself for forgetting, if only for a moment, that I would always be here for her. She finally managed to pull up a shaky smile that I could tell was only for my benefit.

"I'm sorry. I know you're so happy… I didn't want to ruin your moment," she muttered. Ah, so that's why she looked guilty earlier.

"Nothing could ruin this moment for me, but I would love for you to share in it," I said and placed a kiss in her hair.

"You'll be an amazing dad, and if you're there with me then…" she trailed off, staring into the distance. I shook my head and helped her to her feet. She could raise this child alone, she's such a strong person, but she doesn't have to. We're a team, and always will be. I can no longer imagine my life without her by my side.

"Are you ready to go back in? I can make them leave if you'd like," I said and she gave a chuckle.

"No, they don't have to leave. You can talk to them while I get a better grip," she said before really laughing and walking to the house. I really didn't want to leave her alone but I needed to make a phone call. If anyone could make her realize…

"Ha'ri! Come, let's sit," Aya called as soon as I walked in the door. He began pulling me to the living room before I could respond. Inora gave me a reassuring smile before heading to our bedroom, so I let myself be dragged.

"Is she ok?" Kyo asked softly from the couch.

"For the most part. It is a lot to take in at once," I said slowly.

"Well of course it is, now tell me-" Gure started but I cut him off.

"Hold that thought," I said before turning into the kitchen. Tohru was in there making tea for everyone already; I smiled politely at whatever she said before picking up the phone to dial the familiar number.

"Hello?" Momiji's boy like voice rang through the receiver.

"Momiji," I said in greeting. "I wonder if you would mind coming over, Inora-"

"Sure! I'll be right over" he said brightly before hanging up. I chuckled lightly at his eagerness before hanging up my end. I didn't even get a chance to say why.

"Inora's worried isn't she," Tohru voiced it more like a statement then a question, I nodded silently to her. "Mom was worried when she first found out about me too. I can imagine… Inora isn't that much older than me, and to have an innocent baby to protect, it would be scary."

"She can do it," I found myself repeating. There's no one I would trust with my child more.

"I certainly never said she couldn't," she said, smiling serenely, before turning back to the stove. I had noticed that she and Kyo living together seemed to have calmed them both down a bit. Kyo doesn't fly off the handle as often and Tohru doesn't apologize as much. They are quite good for each other. I went back to the living room and Shigure was about to ask me something again when a blond bundle of energy burst through the door and into the room.

"Momiji, that must be a record," I said glancing at my watch; it had only been about a minute. He was trying to catch his breath so he must have sprinted the whole way, though it wasn't far.

"You sounded worried, and you said something about Inora, where is she?" he asked in a rush looking around the room for her.

"She's in the bedroom but-" Momiji already tried to take off and I caught his arm just before he got out of reach.

"Ha'ri," he whined. It had been a while since he had seen her. A while being only about five days of course.

"We just found out… Inora is pregnant," I said with a grin I knew probably looked stupid, but I didn't care. He made and excited sound that was somewhere between a squeal and a laugh and bounced into my arms.

"That's great," he said excitedly after stepping away. "I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl. Oh! What are you going to name it? When will it come? Do you-"

"You brat, do you always have to be so annoying?" Kyo sighed.

"Kyo, how can you be so mean to such a cute face?" Inora scolded from the doorway. She draped herself over Momiji's back and hugged him around the middle while resting her chin on his shoulder. Momiji, who had grown quite a bit in the last year and was now slightly taller than Inora, cuddled his cheek into her hair and placed his hands over hers.

"I've missed you," Momiji said sweetly.

"Awe, I missed you too (sweetie pie)," Inora said, hugging him closer. Suddenly she froze and her eyes snapped to me in wonder. She finally realized what I had been hoping she would, she had practically been Momiji's mother since they had met.

"My mom used to call me (Sweetie pie)," she said quietly still staring at me. I gave her a wink and an encouraging smile; she gave me a fake glare as she realized that I had set this up.

"Ha'ri just told me," Momiji said excitedly and turned in her arms to face her. He then did what even I didn't have the guts to do at that point; he put his hand on her stomach and beamed down at her. She looked down at his hand for a second with an expression I couldn't begin to read, then smiled up at him.

"I think it's a little early to feel any kicking," she said with a chuckle.

"It's still in there though and I always find that amazing," he laughed joyfully. "You're gonna be such a good mama."

"What makes you say that?" she tried to ask nonchalantly but her voice shook ever so slightly. He took his hand off her stomach and hugged her close.

"You always make me feel safe and loved, that's all a child really needs," he almost whispered but everyone had gone so silent listening to them that his voice still rang in the room.

"I do love you Momiji," she said and then smiled. "And I think discipline needs to be on that list of needs though."

"Oh you have Ha'ri for that," he laughed and stepped away from her.

"No, he's too soft," she said with a grin at me before coming over to hug me. "Thanks, that really helped," she whispered so only I could hear. She made to step away but I held her close.

"So do you have any ideas for names?" Shigure asked, happy to finally be able to voice his question.

"Oh, names will be fun," Inora said happily and I beamed. I was so happy that she was feeling better about this.

"We can choose a boy and girl name then when you get an ultrasound we'll already have one ready," I said. She thought for a moment before biting her lip and looking up at me. "What is it?" I asked feeling my emotions plummet again. Maybe I did too much too soon; I can tell that she's still a little uneasy.

"Ha'ri… what would you think about not knowing the sex of the baby until it's born?" she asked hesitantly.

"I think that would be fantastic," I said and she smiled.

"I'm not sure if I can handle the anticipation," Ayame cried out.

"Yes, my poor old heart might give out from all the emotion of waiting for such news," Shigure sighed dramatically and put the back of his hand to his forehead.

"Grow up you two, it's our choice," I said.

"Hey, doesn't Yuki come tonight?" Inora suddenly asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"I get to tell him since you got to tell Momiji," she said cheerfully and I laughed.

"Who's going to tell Akito?" Shigure asked.

"You," Inora and I said together causing him to laugh.

"Oh, I'm not gonna be able to train with Kazuma anymore we should go tell him since I was supposed to go in tomorrow. And of course we have to let Hatsu know," she said excitedly and pulled out of my arms to pull me to the door. I couldn't help but beam at her enthusiasm.

"I want to come," Momiji said.

"I'll come if you're going to see Kazuma," Kyo said, standing up.

"Dinner will be ready when you get back," Tohru called to us.

The four of us made our way out of the house, Inora and I had an arm around each other, and Kyo and Momiji were having a civil conversation for once. My mind drifted back to wondering when that last bit of doubt would leave Inora. Maybe when she tells her uncle he'll have something good to say that will help her. Hatsu and Kazuma will be nothing but supportive of course. She still doesn't go more than a few days without seeing Hatsu, that man has definitely become a sort of father for her. And through her training with Kazuma they have become quite close.

"Inora!" Hatsu called from his yard.

"Oh god. Look at where he's standing," Inora mumbled, grinning. I smiled as I saw the rose bush where Inora and I had our first real conversation. That was when I realized that I had feelings for her… more than I ever thought I would after Kana.

"Hey! We have some news for you," Inora sang in a sort of tune.

"You're pregnant," he said as a statement, grinning brightly.

"Who told you?" Inora asked.

"No one, but you just confirmed it," he laughed before pulling her into a hug and spinning her around once before setting her down. "Oh sorry! Maybe I shouldn't do that."

"How did you know?" Inora asked ignoring his joke.

"Well for one the look about you, you're glowing. For two you said you had news and you have a group of people with you. Then for three you and Hatori have been all over each other so it was only a matter of time." The complete truth to that caused everyone to burst out laughing. We chatted happily with him for a time before we decided to visit Kazuma.

"Well I'm so happy for you two. You're going to be great parents," Hatsu said.

"That seems to be the general opinion," Inora said with a nervous laugh.

"Because it's true," I said quietly before taking her hand and taking her down the path towards Kazuma's. She fell silent as we made our way through the estate and to the dojo. We went in and took off our shoes, and she quickly found him observing a couple of boys sparing.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked. He turned to see her and shook his head, grinning.

"It's never a bad time for you," he said and looked over her head to see Kyo. "Ah Kyo," he said happily and moved over to hug and talk to him about his training. We waited a ways away so they could have their father/son moment.

"It's actually gonna suck to not be able to train," Inora muttered to me, she was watching the boys spar. "But it probably wouldn't be too good to get kicked in the stomach too much."

"Definitely not," I chuckled. "You want to tell him?"

"If… you don't mind?"

"Of course not."

"So to what do I owe the pleasure?" Kazuma asked us.

"Sorry. It looks like I won't be able to train for a while," she answered and his face fell slightly.

"Oh? For how long?" he asked and she pretended to think about it.

"Oh I'd say about nine months." He looked at her confused for a moment and he looked like he was about to ask for what. I could almost see the pieces clicking into place and he grinned at her.

"That's wonderful! You'll be amazing. Do you know when it's due?" he asked while giving her a hug.

"Not yet, actually we just found out today…"

We then had almost the same conversation that we had with Hatsu before saying our goodbyes. Kyo stayed behind to discuss something while we headed back to the house. Momiji chatted happily about nothing in particular while Inora stayed silent for most of the walk.

"You know," she said breaking her silence, "I think I've always wanted the baby, I mean since I first knew about it, I was just worried. But if everyone I know say's I'll be a good mom… well, maybe I should believe them. Sorry for being a pain."

"You could never be a pain to me. I completely understand why you would be worried, but there is no need," I said and bent to kiss her soft hair.

"Now," she said grinning up at me. "How are we gonna tell Dan?"


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N): Hey! So just as a warning this chapter… not a whole lot going on but it was still necessary. Starting next chapter I have made sure that each one is either exciting/interesting or funny so yay for that. And just a reminder that anything in (these) is in English. ;p

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Shouldn't we call from the airport at the very least?" Hatori was nervous, and it was adorable.

"I'm telling you he'll be thrilled. Now, we are just going to have to blow money on a cab… this is so weird, I haven't been in here in so long. I think it's this way," I said picking my way through the crowd at the Portland airport with Hatori hovering right behind me. It took us forever to get through customs but we were finally out to the front area where I was able to recognize things again.

"You want to talk about weird? At least you can read the signs," he muttered behind me. I pulled him off to the side, near where you check your luggage, so we could 'regroup'. Ever since we stepped off the plane it's just been pure insanity. While we were in the airport in Japan it went fairly smooth, I couldn't help but think that that was because he was in control there and I was the one running the show here.

"You're forgetting I couldn't read or speak Japanese when I went there, and I didn't have anyone to help me in the airport." I was just teasing him; everyone knew that Hatori didn't like not being in control. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing…now."

"Yeah, your performance at customs had been so awe inspiring," he laughed.

"You know, you didn't used to be so sarcastic," I gave him a fake glare.

"I learned from the master," he said and bowed causing me to laugh.

"Come on and your 'sensei' will hail us a cab," I grabbed his hand to pull him back into the crowd and outside. We stood on the sidewalk for a moment while I tried to spot a cab.

"How do you-"

"(TAXI!)" I yelled throwing my hand into the air, causing Hatori to jump slightly. The cab driver pulled over right in front of us and hopped out of the car quickly. I just shrugged it off thinking that he needed money today. "(Can you take us to Oregon City?)"

"(Sure thing,)" he said kindly and opened the trunk to throw our luggage in while Hatori and I climbed in the back seat. Once he got back in the car I gave him Dan's address and we were off.

"See? No problems hailing a cab," I said. "And he's a good one, fast and polite."

"That's because he's scared to death of you," Hatori chuckled.

"What? Why would that be?"

"The look on your face and your voice when you hailed him, he was too scared not to stop."

"Oh please, that's how you hail a cab," I rolled my eyes. But even so I made sure to be extra polite to him as he stopped at Dan's house 20 minutes later and got out our luggage.

"This is nice," Hatori said as he looked at the house then turned to look up and down the street.

"I know, it's so peaceful. Until school gets out anyway- oh crap." I said and slapped my hand to my forehead. School, Dan would still be teaching at this time, though he's almost done.

"Let me guess he's not even home right now," he smiled knowingly.

"No, but come on. There's a key to the back door, then we can head over to the school," I led him down a path that went to the back of the house, quickly found the key in the potted plant next to the door and let us in.

"Should we just leave our stuff here?" he asked.

"No… oh man this will be awesome," I laughed lightly and ran for the stairs with my bag. When I got to the top I threw open the door at the end of the mini hallway to find my room just as I had left it almost two years ago.

"So this was your room once you moved in with your uncle?" Hatori asked once he caught up with me.

"No, my parents left him the house when they died. So this has been my room for my whole life. Changed it around a few times of course," I explained as I put my bag in a corner. I wandered over and jumped onto the bed immediately smelling the mustiness from being closed off for so long.

"That's interesting to think about. This is the room you grew up in," he said looking at my posters.

"I know! That's what I was thinking. The last time I was here I never would have guessed that I would come back with a husband, much later than I was supposed to, and pregnant."

"Plus I never had a normal childhood. It's nice to think about yours in a way. You had sleepovers, studied, and played with dolls…"

"Ha, Dolls? Try action figures. And the studying… well let's just say not as much as I should have. Sleepovers, yes, but more like parties."

"And I am not surprised by any of that."

"I feel like I should be insulted…" I said before laughing. "Anyway I think it will be fun… and funny to sneak up on Dan at the school."

"I hope you're right." We headed back downstairs and I grabbed the keys to the car. Really it was my keys and my car but… it's not like I can take them back to Japan with me. Dan got dad's truck and I got mom's car, so the car has just been sitting there since I left. I explained it all to Hatori as we went out to the garage.

"It'll be nice to drive again. I miss it. Sooo much," I said as I pet the car affectionately. He shook his head and chuckled as he got in the passenger's side and I hopped into the driver's side. I drove, much too fast, to the school and we made our way to the office for visitors passes since school was still in session. I lead him through the building without even having to think about it, which he seemed to notice.

"I'm guessing you've been here quite a lot," he asked while weaving his fingers into mine.

"Of course, this was my High School. Not that long ago really… cuz you robbed the cradle," I smirked at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Seven years difference is not robbing the cradle. Besides, you're very mature for your age," he sighed.

"I'm just teasing, you know that. I'm the last person on earth who would complain. And… here we are," I said happily, stopping outside the door.

"Are you ready to be hugged within an inch of your life?" he asked with a grin. I stuck my tongue out at him and peeked into the window to make sure that he wasn't in the middle of a lecture or something. The students were mostly talking, some reading, others sitting on desks so I figured I was safe. I grabbed the handle and threw open the door with a bang causing most of the class to jump.

"(OH DANNI BOY!)" I yelled. Dan jumped up from his desk where he was grading assignments so fast that his legs slammed into it causing several things to knock over. He swore loudly, causing his students to giggle, as he stared at me for a moment before running across the room to pick me up in one of his famous bear hugs.

"(Inora! I didn't know you were coming home, this is so great! Man, I've missed you. You look amazing though,)" Dan chatted excitedly.

"(We wanted to surprise you,)" I said. "(Well actually Hatori was really worried about not telling you…)" His eyes snapped back to the doorway at the mention of Hatori's name. He shot over and whipped a very surprised Hatori into a bone crushing hug. Hatori hugged him back after a second while Dan said many of the same things to him, forgetting again that Hatori doesn't speak English. He wanted to learn, he could now introduce himself and knew a few other words, but he was so busy he really didn't have time.

"(Who are they?)" a boy in the class asked. Dan pulled us further into the room so everyone could see us better.

"(This is my niece Inora, though she's more like a sister, and her husband Hatori. They live in Japan,)" he said sounding…proud. Well it's nice to know he's proud of my choices…

"What's going on?" Hatori asked me quietly.

"He's just introducing us to his class," I said back. "By the way, how do you like being one of the rare few to get one of Dan's bear hugs?"

"My spine is screaming death threats at him. I'm surprised you can't hear it," he said causing me to laugh, which of course made him laugh. We sobered up quickly as we took in the 30 students staring at us.

"(Um… nice to meet you… I guess?)" I said awkwardly. "(When does class end?)" I asked Dan, he glanced at his watch.

"(Alright get out of here guys,)" he said to the class and they sprang to their feet instantly, ready for the weekend. We were standing next to the door still so the students were walking right past us to get to the hallway. I knew I was being silly but I couldn't help but glare at a couple groups of girls that were staring openly at Hatori and giggling to each other.

"(Ok. I just have one more test to grade then I'll be free all weekend,)" Dan said happily and went back to his desk.

"(Nice to know you don't procrastinate as much,)" I said earning me a fake laugh before he bent over the paper.

"We're gonna have to go to the store soon, tomorrow if not tonight. He probably doesn't have much food around the house," I told Hatori.

"And when do you plan on telling him the news?" Hatori asked, a grin spreading slowly across his face.

"Tonight I guess," I couldn't quite meet his eyes. Every time I stop and think about the fact that there is a baby on the way I get… weird. Jittery, shaky, sometimes nauseous and unfortunately I usually cry a little.

"We should take him out to dinner. It's the least we could do after just showing up like this," he said.

"Ok, but I'm telling you he doesn't mind. He is lovin' this. (Yo Dan Ha'ri wants to take you out for dinner,)" I called over to him.

"(Well you know me,)" Dan said while finishing his last comment on the paper with a flourish. "(I never turn down free food. You want to go to that Mexican place you like? El whatever-o?)"

"(That sounds great,)" I said with a chuckle. "You good with Mexican food?" I asked Hatori.

"Never had it, but sure."

"Oh my god. You are missing out. You'll love it," I said and grabbed both of their arms to drag them out.

"(Inora it's only three…)" Dan muttered.

"(Ugh but I'm starving!)" I whined.

"(Ok ok. Less of a crowd right now I guess,)" He shook his head slightly before glancing over at me again. He looked suspicious, and that made me giggle. It just now occurred to him that we must have some big news for us to come all the way over here.

"He's getting suspicious," I informed Hatori and he chuckled as well. We had to split up, because of the two cars, and of course I got there a few minutes ahead of Dan. By the time he got there Hatori and I were already looking over our menus.

"(Geez girl, one of these days you're gonna get pulled over. Then I bet you'll go the speed limit,)" Dan muttered as he sat down.

"(You mean once I get a ticket. Remember, I've already been pulled over a few times. I'm just too pretty for them to give me a ticket,)" I grinned at him.

"(Yeah, you can smooth talk your way out of anything,)" he glared at the unfairness of it.

"(Oh there are plenty of things I couldn't get out of, or I got help getting out of them.)"

"(Like when?)" he asked. I couldn't answer that. The only example I could think of was when I met Akito. If Shigure hadn't stepped in to help me Hatori would have had to erase my memories. That thought made me grab Hatori's hand under the table. Even though I didn't know him then it still bothers me that I was scared of him, even for those few minutes. I hadn't just been scared of him, I was terrified.

"(So how long will you be here for?)" Dan asked sensing that I didn't want to answer his last question.

"(Just for the weekend. Ha'ri couldn't get much time off on such short notice. We were thinking about having a bigger trip here next year, in June or July maybe.)" Hatori had sat down and figured it all out. He figured that we conceived at the lake house, which was not a huge surprise, so the baby would come around the end of April. Then I would just need time to heal before coming and showing off to my family. Knowing Dan as soon as he finds out he'll make plans to be there for the actual birth.

"(Well that's a shame. We'll just have to make this weekend count then huh?)" he looked a little disappointed. The waitress came and took our orders, Hatori just told me to get him what I was getting. That made the waitress call us adorable and demand a 'nut shell' version of our story. We talked all through dinner, it was really weird having two different conversations at once, and more than once I continued a conversation with the wrong person. When we had finished eating Hatori gave me a little nudge and wink.

"(Ok. So Dan I know you've already figured out that we came with some news,)" I started.

"(Only an idiot wouldn't realize that. Come on out with it,)" he said. He looked like he was preparing for some horrible news.

"(I'm pregnant,)" I said simply. There was silence for a full minute before Dan let out a cry of cheer.

"(Oh I'm so happy for you guys! Congratulations! What do you know so far?)" he was practically bouncing with excitement.

"(Well it was…I mean it's gonna be here around the end of April and that's all we know. When we get back to Japan we have an appointment set up so we'll know more then,)" I had almost told him when we conceived because that's how I've been looking at it the whole time, but he really doesn't want that information. In his mind I'm sure he thinks it's immaculate.

"(I always thought you said that you were gonna wait a few years after being married, if ever, though I knew you would.)"

"(It was an accident. Turns out the pills I was taking didn't work. They left out an ingredient or some such,)" I explained.

"(You were taking bad pills?)" worry was creeping into his voice now.

"(Oh don't worry, Hatori tore apart every article he could find on it. They are completely harmless, they just didn't do their job,)" I said quickly before he could freak out more. He visibly relaxed, he knew better then to question Dr. Sohmas diagnoses of anything having to do with me. He knew Hatori would not rest until he knew for sure that I wasn't in any danger.

"(That's good. But anyway you are going to be a great mom, and I know Hatori is a great guy. You'll be just fine,)" he said. He knew. He knew that I was still worried even though now I tried to hide it. Dan's known me my whole life and if he also thinks I'll be a good mom then…

"(I think so too,)" I said quietly and kissed Hatori on the cheek.

"(Well let's go home. Oh and I should go by the store…)" he said getting up.

"(Ha'ri and I can go, you never could shop right,)" I laughed and we walked out to the cars.

"(Yeah, yeah. 'Too much soda and not enough milk' as you always told me.)"

"(I can't put soda on my cereal. So we'll see you in a bit,)" I said and started to get in my car.

"(Alright, and Inora,)" he called and I turned back to him. "(You have a baby on board now so… slow down a bit huh.)"

"(Oh shut up. I don't drive all that fast.)"


	6. Chapter 6

"Which way is the restroom?" Hatori asked.

"Oh, it's right over there," I said pointing. "I'll wait in dairy for you, it's in that back corner." He moved off with a nod and I watched him for a moment before grabbing a cart and heading for the milk. He look almost out of place here, this is where I had done all my shopping for as long as I could remember. The store had never changed in all that time, so I had the same odd feeling I had in my room. Coming back pregnant and with a husband. Huh.

When I got to the milk I chuckled to myself while looking at the prices. I had become so used to thinking in yen instead of dollars. And when had everything gotten so expensive? Wow I'm thinking like a mom already. I had always thought my mom was cheap, now I understand. I laughed a little and grabbed the best deal, as I placed it in my cart a voice spoke up behind me.

"(Well now, I must be seeing things. I thought you ran away a long time ago.)" That voice. _His _voice. I froze, it was a voice I only heard in my nightmares, and even those stopped as soon as I met Hatori.

"(Eric?)" my voice was barely more than a whisper. I couldn't turn around even if I wanted to. Hatori, where is Hatori? I need him, now.

"(Who else? You aren't expecting someone else are you?)" Eric said darkly, hinting that if the answer was yes there would be hell to pay. He slowly strutted into my vision, and despite my better judgment my eyes snapped up to meet his. No, I need to be stronger than this.

"(And what if I was? It's not any concern of yours, hasn't been for three years,)" I said with more confidence then I felt. His eyes narrowed at the reminder.

"(What's with the accent?)" he asked suddenly. Accent? Do I have an accent now? Well I guess that makes sense… anyway that's not the point.

"(What do you want?)" I snapped ignoring his question.

"(I think you know. You ran off before we could work things out. Now that you're back in town why don't you come to my place,)" he said in what he thought was a sexy voice, but once you've heard Hatori's purr nothing else can measure up.

"(Screw you,)" I said and reached out to grab the cart. His hand shot out, grabbed my wrist and pulled it into the air shaking it a little near his face. I felt extremely vulnerable, not only did I just lose a hand to defend with, he's pretty tall so my arm was stretched high leaving my side exposed.

"(What is this Inora?)" his voice rising slightly. Then I realized, he had my left hand, my wedding ring waving in front of his face. Hatori, please, help me.

(Hatori's POV)

Everything seems backwards here. I've never fully appreciated what Inora had to go through when she first got to Japan until now. People that worked there, I could tell from the uniform, kept asking me things. I did notice that a lot of them were women. I would smile kindly and tell them that "(I don't speak English)" at least I hope I'm saying it right. Inora had just told me on the plane ride over. I finally got to where I could see dairy type items and quickly spotted Inora… with a man. He was standing awfully close to her. Figures, I look away for one second and someone's already hitting on her. She's too beautiful for her own good. Then I saw it, his hand reaching out to grab her wrist, wrench it up in the air and him shouting a question at her.

My blood went past boiling into super nova territory. It seemed like I was right behind him before I even had a conscious thought to move. Inora… I've never seen her like this. She was shaking, head bowed in submission, and her right arm was wrapped around her stomach. An instinctual effort to protect our baby. I hadn't realized that I could become any more livid, but I just did.

"Take your hands off my wife," my voice was low and dangerous. Even if he couldn't understand my words there was no mistaking my meaning. He dropped her hand instantly and she snapped it back quickly to wrap around her stomach, other than that her pose didn't change. He was saying things, he was angry, I didn't care. My better sense was telling me that he had let go and that we should just leave, but the rest of me was crying for his punishment. I glanced back to Inora and saw it, the red marks on her wrist that I could tell were going to bruise.

My fist connected so forcibly with his face he was sent backwards into the clear doors in front of the milk. He was stunned for a moment, and then he righted himself and started shouting. I could make out the swear words, Inora used them enough. I walked over to Inora and gently grabbed her hand, she flinched at first which simply broke my heart, but she slowly looked up and relaxed when she saw it was me. She stepped closer and pressed herself into my side. She was still shaking a little.

"Don't even think about touching my wife again," I said in the same threatening voice. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and his eyes lingered on my wedding ring before snapping to hers then to my face. A man in a suit, I'm guessing a manager, rushed up and started trying to sort things out. Inora gave our names to the man, said something about Japanese while gesturing to me, and started to explain. Fear crossed the face of the man I just punched and he got up rather quickly and ran off.

"I can guarantee he knows he doesn't have a leg to stand on. And if the cops get called…" she trailed off. A few minutes later the manager left, taking out his phone as he went.

"So what happened?" I asked.

"I told him what happened and gave him Eric's name. He said he would inform the police and that he believed us. Basically I doubt we're gonna have to deal with anything else seeing as he ran away," she said monotone.

"Are you ok?" I asked rubbing her shoulder a little.

"Yeah. Come on let's get this shopping done." She moved through the store quickly throwing things in the cart without looking at them too hard. I kept scanning the area around us, just in case. I wanted to know exactly what happened but I could understand that she didn't want to explain it all here. From what I could tell he had been upset at the thought of her married. But why would that be, old boyfriend perhaps? It seems hard to believe that anyone who has dated Inora would let her go willingly. Through my thoughts I barely noticed that we checked out then got in the car to go home. She pulled into the driveway and I helped her with the groceries. Silently. It was all silently, and it was starting to worry me.

"Dan?" she called as soon as we got in. Dan came in and immediately noticed that something was wrong. She explained what happened, and he became angrier and angrier the more she went on. He asked a question, looking at me, and she shook her head. Then he said something softer and took the bags from me. She set hers down and led me up to her room.

"Ok. Sit with me, this will take a while," she said after closing the door. I moved to sit with her on the bed and she took a deep breath before beginning. "First of all I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner, I didn't think it would come up again so there was no point. That person, if you can call him that, was Eric. I dated him for two years. He hadn't always been a jerk, or at least he hid it. I met him soon after my parents died, and he was a comfort. More in the way that he took my mind off of it than anything else.

"As time went by I did see little glimpses of what he was really like but I had grown to almost depend on him in some weird way. It's like I thought that if I left him there would be nothing to fill the hole my parents left. He just kept getting…well… crazier. Finally one day he punched me because… I wouldn't have sex with him. I left him but he showed up the next day being all sweet like I remembered him being when I first met him.

"And I'm sorry to say, that happened two more times. Then I told Dan and let him answer the door that last time. Eric… sort of went insane. He called all the time, parked in front of our house. We got a restraining order and he broke into the house. After Dan got through with him he was happy to go with the police. Meanwhile I was going to therapy… anyway after about a year the therapist said I should be fine not going anymore and showed me a website for an exchange program. And you know the rest."

"So… you left him a year before you came to Japan? And for that year you were in therapy?" I asked. I just had to be sure… I didn't want to think I had come into her life before she had fully healed.

"Yes don't worry. You weren't the rebound guy. If anyone was the rebound it was Shigure…"

"It's just hard to believe. You always seemed ready to open up to anyone. Usually people in your case would have built walls around their hearts," I said grabbing her hand.

"I swore to myself that I wouldn't let him change who I was before I met him. It's true, I didn't trust anyone for a while besides Dan but I worked through it," she smiled. Yet another reason why she is such a strong woman today.

"God I love you. And I've never wanted to murder someone so much in my life," I said.

"Yeah, by the way, remind me to never get on your bad side," she laughed.

"I don't think there's a way for you to be on my bad side."

"So you aren't upset that I never told you?" she asked.

"No. Like you said it was in your past, I can understand you not wanting to tell me. Though I still wish you had," I said. I wanted to be honest with her.

"Um, you should also know that that's probably why I was with Shigure. It was nice having someone who found me attractive. You know?"

"Let me guess Eric told you that no one else would ever want you?" I asked, fearing the answer. She nodded. My hatred for that man just doubled. I pulled her in my arms and rubbed her back the way I knew she found soothing and she began to cry into my chest. I just feel so helpless, what can I do for her? Nothing really but be here for her. But that doesn't seem like enough. I felt my eyes stinging and didn't even try to hold back the tears. Dan poked his head in the door and took in the sight before him with a soft smile then said something.

"Dan says that… you're a good man and that he is so happy that you are in his family now," Inora said softly.

"He took the words right out of my mouth," I said. She laughed lightly and told him. He came and patted me on the back and said something else that caused Inora to blush brightly and order him out.

"Idiot," she muttered at the door.

"What did he say?"

"He said that… he would sleep with headphones in tonight," she blushed brighter. I laughed, hard. That man was as blunt as a bowling ball. And I was thankful to him, he lightened the mood so I could talk to her about other things. It seemed so soon that it was late and both of our minds were a million miles away from Eric.

"I love you," I said once we had decided to go to bed.

"I love you too," she said and kissed me. It turned out that it was a good thing Dan was wearing headphones that night.

(A/N): Ahhh! I tried to make it longer. I did. But according to my outline that's all that goes in this chapter… but at least it was more interesting than the last one no? Anyway I hope you liked it! Tell me if you like this new twist or not! ;)


	7. Chapter 7

"(Inora, what on earth are you doing?)" Dan asked. I froze and could feel the heat creep up on my cheeks, I had so hoped I wouldn't be caught. And it was the most ridiculous position to be caught in too. I was washing my hands before starting everyone's breakfast when I was overwhelmed by the smell of soap…again. I had glanced around and when I saw that no one was close by I decided to try it just this once. Unfortunately that's when Dan had decided to walk in. So here I am, frozen with my tongue sticking out to the back of my hand.

"(I…)" I scrambled to try to explain but of course before I could talk the tongue had to be put away and…wow. I hadn't expected for the soap to actually taste _good._ I thought I would taste horrible like it was supposed to then I wouldn't want it any more. Just my luck, now I want more.

"(You have cravings for soap? That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard of,)" he said before laughing. I rinsed off my hands quickly and dried them before starting on breakfast. He was still laughing. Jerk.

"(If you don't stop laughing I won't make enough for you,)" I threatened. He tried unsuccessfully to control himself then ended up just sitting at the table and burying his face in his arms.

"(I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's not so much what your craving is, but more what I just caught you doing,)" Dan's muffled voice reasoned. Well I can't really blame him for that I guess.

"(Yeah, yeah. Make fun of the pregnant lady. That's smart,)" I said with extreme sarcasm. After a while he calmed down and started on his news paper while I finished breakfast. I laid it out on the table and Dan looked it over appreciatively.

"(Man Hatori is a lucky guy. You've gotten way better at cooking and I remember you were still pretty good before you left,)" Dan said as he took some French toast, then finished loading up his plate with sausage and eggs.

"Hatori, there's food on the table!" I called up the stairs. It's what my mom used to say when it was time to eat and I had started using it with Hatori soon after we were married. Of course, in Japanese instead of English.

"Smells great," Hatori said from the stairs.

"Thanks, and I would hurry before Dan eats it all," I said and turned to look at him. "What were…you…wow." He was in a black suit with a red tie, he looked amazing. Not that he didn't always look amazing of course.

"Do you like it?" he asked with a smile that told me he knew my answer.

"If Dan wasn't here I might try to rip it off you. Uh… what's the occasion?" I asked.

"I thought we would go visit your parents while we were here," he said as he went to sit next to Dan who had stopped eating to stare at him.

"Oh! Yeah I was planning to go today. I guess I should have realized that you'd want to go too," I muttered and sat across from them.

"(What's he all decked out for?)" Dan asked.

"(To meet mom and dad,)" I said.

"(Meet?)"

"(Oh yeah. You see in Japanese culture they seem to have a close bond with the dead. They will go to the person's grave and speak to them as if they are actually there and not just their body. They also set up little shrines in the home. Incense, flowers and the like surrounding the loved ones picture. Which reminds me can I take that picture of mom and dad on their last anniversary?)" I had almost forgotten that Hatori had asked if I wanted to do that long ago.

"(Of course. You wanted to make one of those shine things?)"

"(Actually it was Ha'ri's idea, but I think that would be nice,)" I said and got up "(Plus Hatori has never seen them.)"

"(Oh. I didn't know he hadn't ever seen them.)"

"(Well I didn't bring any pictures with me. It was only supposed to be temporary,)" I laughed as I grabbed the picture to bring back to the table.

"(Yeah we all saw how that turned out,)" he grumbled. I draped myself over Hatori's back and held the picture up in front of his face.

"What do you think of this one?" I asked. He took it and looked at it closely, like he was trying to memorize their faces, which he probably was. "For their last anniversary Dan and I took them to get their picture taken. I remember, I said something that made them laugh and the photographer thought quick enough to hit the button."

"They look so happy. Of course with you around it's hard not to be," he said.

"You are just… adorable," I said and kissed his cheek. "We ended up getting that one because it shows exactly what they are like. They were kind, loving and all around happy people. And they would laugh at the drop of a hat as you can see."

"Then it's absolutely perfect to use. Does Dan want to come with us to the grave?" he asked.

"(Dan you're welcome to come with us if you want,)" I said, stretching my neck back to see around Hatori's head.

"(Well… I don't want to intrude on your moment that's bound to happen, but I'm really curious. I'll have to at least put on a better shirt. He makes me look like a slob.)"

"(He always makes everyone look like a slob. And as for the 'moment' thing we are used to having our moments with a room full of people now.)"

"(Ok… but I'm still changing my shirt.)"

(Time jump)

(Dan's POV) A/N: Dan can only speak English so…yeah. Nothing is in Japanese lol ;)

We decided to walk, it was such a nice day and it wasn't very far. We stopped by a little flower shop and picked out some nice bouquets before finally reaching the cemetery.

"Ha'ri likes the spot we got for them," Inora informed me. I looked up at the trees that were swaying lazily in the breeze.

"Yeah we got lucky," I said still looking around. My attention was brought suddenly back to the grave as Hatori's deep voice quietly started up. He placed the flowers carefully by each head stone and crouched down in the middle facing them. He continued to talk in a low soothing voice and my curiosity got the better of me. I stepped closer to Inora so I wouldn't disturb him.

"What is he saying?" I whispered.

"H-he," her voice was shaking, she cleared her throat and started again. "He's saying… he knows they watch over us but that he wishes he could have known them in life. He knows that they were wonderful people because they raised two more wonderful people…and… he is also assuring them that he loves me with all of his heart. Oh sorry… will always love me with all of his… heart or strength maybe?"

"Something tells me your translation leaves something to be desired," I muttered.

"Well Japanese doesn't translate very well into English so I was paraphrasing," she laughed. He looked at us questioningly and she explained, to which he gave a smile. I was glad to see that smile on him. The first time I had met him I had seen the way he looked at her. From what little had gotten translated back and forth between us he was the one I liked the most out of all the guys after her, she still doesn't know how many guys I scared away from her. Still… he seemed too serious. Inora was such a lighthearted person I didn't think it would go well after a while.

During the phone call he made, asking for her hand in marriage, I could tell he had lightened up quite a bit. After Eric I was protective of her. Perhaps too protective at times… trying to permanently damage Shigure being one of those times. So to have Hatori come though and fix the only thing I could find wrong with him, well, I was ecstatic.

"I hate to ruin this moment but seeing as you are heading out tonight we should probably head home," I said. Just as I had expected they would, they were having a moment. From the look on Inora's face she was telling him amazing he was, which was deserved.

(Time jump)

(Inora's POV)

"I'm sooo tired," I whined Into Hatori's shoulder. "Can't we just go home?"

"We can't, thanks to the plane delay we only have ten minutes before your appointment starts. And we can't reschedule. Dr. Ootori Is the best there is so he's in high demand," he explained. I blushed at the fact that my doctor was going to be a guy. Oh well… when it comes down to the pushing I'm sure the gender of my doctor will be the last thing on my mind.

"Fine wake me up when we get there," I mumbled.

"We _are_ there," he chuckled and helped me out of the car. I drug my feet all the way to the office, I was ridiculously tired. And soar, my back was killing me. He pointed to a chair and I plopped down as he went to talk to the receptionist. My rest was short lived, however as a nurse came out to bring us back.

"Oh you poor dear, you look so tired," she patted my back as I sat on the table.

"Our plane was delayed. There was supposed to be a few hours from the time that we landed until now but…" I trailed off with a huge yawn. She started taking my blood pressure.

"Where were you?" she asked kindly.

"America," I said simply. She asked a few more questions and gave me some water before finishing up her paper work and leaving. I sighed and slumped sideways into Hatori who was just standing next to the table the whole time.

"Be more tired," I said grumpily and he chuckled. I was about to tell him that I was serious when a man with glasses came in. He looked around Hatori's age…was this my doctor? He's so young, how can he be 'the best'?

"Dr. and Mrs. Sohma, it's nice to meet you. I am Dr. Ootori, and I'll be your doctor for the duration of your pregnancy. You are we doing today?" he sounded so… professional.

"Tired," I said. Thankfully that did cause him to look up and smile.

"Of course, that's typical."

"Doesn't make me any less tired," I laughed.

"Very true," he said and chuckled. "Let's get right down to it then shall we?" He proceeded to ask several questions that Hatori answered while I zoned out.

"Are you ready?" Hatori asked after what felt like forever.

"For what?" I asked.

"Now comes the fun part," Dr. Ootori said cheerfully. He had me lay back and spread a lot of blue goo all over my stomach. He wheeled over a monitor, turned it on and put the reader/device thingy to my stomach. I was almost afraid to look at the monitor, would the thing on the screen even look human at this point? I wasn't even really showing yet…

"There it is," Hatori whispered. I just took a moment to drink in his face, it was so full of wonder and love. I finally looked at the screen… and saw pretty much nothing.

"Here's the head" the doc said pointing at a blur. "You can see an arm here," more blur. "And here. You can see the heart beating." He pointed again and I studied the place hard and finally found it. There it was, it's tiny little heart already beating away. My baby. Our baby. In that moment the last remainder of my doubts scattered.

"Well Dr. Sohma it seems like you were correct. You are two months pregnant and I'd say…April 30'Th is the due date. Congratulations, it is as healthy as you could ever hope for. Now I understand you wish to wait until delivery to know the gender? Which is fine because at this point it's too hard to tell anyway," Doc explained. He continued to get technical with Hatori as I just gazed at my baby's heart beating away.

"So unless there are any complications we won't need to see you until delivery?" Hatori asked as the nurse came in and started cleaning me up.

"Precisely," Doc said and pushed his glasses up with his middle and forefinger. "And once again congratulations you two." And with that he walked out of the room.

"He's stuffy," I said and the nurse snorted. I ran my hand over my stomach and beamed at Hatori. He picked up on what I was trying to convey to him and grinned back at me. He could see that I was finally as happy as he was. I'm going to be a mommy.

(A/N): OMG the doctor. I SO could not help myself. Does anyone out there recognize him? Don't worry if you just can't place him I'll tell you at the beginning of the next chapter, which is gonna be FUN! Weird…but fun. Haha. :) Oh and as for all the Japanese culture with the dead: sorry if any of that was wrong. I tried to look it up but the internet was being surprisingly stubborn on not giving me the info I needed. So I just took what Tohru did around her mom's grave and a few other Anime's… yeah.


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N): Ok first of all the doctor from the last chapter was Kyoya from 'Ouran High School Host Club' for all of you that have seen that. If you haven't I would highly suggest it. A lot of you were right which makes me happy! Yeah… couldn't help myself lol. And just a few reminders, as of the end of the last chapter Inora was two months pregnant, and she is due in April. Now on with the fun! ;)

THREE MONTHS PREGNANT

(Hatori's POV)

Knock, Knock, Knock

"May I help you?" I asked after opening the door. I had been expecting Momiji and instead I found what could only be a Lawyer. It was a balding man in a grey suit holding a briefcase.

"Dr. Sohma?" he asked and I nodded. "Your family has a league of quite amazing lawyers, I've only just now been able to get through them. Let's just get down to it. I'm with the government and I am only here to see if your marriage is real or not."

"Ah, I was wondering why no one had checked up on us yet. I can assure you that it was not my idea for them to stop you, my family is just very… private," I said and stood aside to let him in. Before I could close the door a blond bundle of energy shot in after the man.

"Where's Inora? I've got something to show her from school!" he cheered and giggled madly.

"In the bedroom reading. Don't wake her if she fell asleep though."

"Don't worry, I won't!" he skipped down the hall still giggling.

"Now, I assume there's some questions you wish to ask?" I asked the man. I could hear myself reverting back to the way I used to talk before, as everyone puts it, Inora loosened me up.

"Actually the both of you. I'm sorry if she's ill but we need to get this dealt with."

"No, she's just resting. I'll go get her, make yourself comfortable," I gestured to the living room before heading down the hallway to get her.

"Someone's here?" She asked as I stepped in, she was holding some sort of flier for a school event.

"Government man, wants to make sure we are in love," I laughed.

"I could tell him! You two are adorable!" Momiji said sounding excited for some reason.

"I'm sure we can convince him. And yes of course I'll go to the festival," she smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Are you sure you can? You won't be too tired?" he looked concerned.

"Good lord, I'm pregnant not struck with the plague." She got off the bed and beamed at me. "Let's go make nice with the government dude." We went back down the hallway to find the man going through his briefcase.

"Ah, good. Have a seat and let's get started," he said and barely glanced at us. "Inora, can I call you that? Give me a brief rundown on your 'story'."

"Uh, ok. I came here towards the end of October in 2010. Hatori and I started dating in December. We got married in January 2012 and I got pregnant in July," she said simply. He finally looked up at her and his eyes settled on her stomach which was now starting to form a little mound.

"You're pregnant? Well that's… congratulations. Hatori, where did Inora live before coming to Japan and who did she live with?"

"Oregon City, Oregon. And she lived with her uncle Dan as her parents passed away when she was 17," I replied.

"Hey mister. Ha'ri and Inora are really in love, you can ask anyone who knows them. I know I see it every day," Momiji said from the doorway.

"I don't doubt that son, this is just a formality. Though now that we know she's pregnant my question list shortened considerably. I think we're done here. Man, months of fighting your lawyers just for that. I need a new job."

FOUR MONTHS

(Inora's POV)

"Good lord. I want to punch something so bad," I muttered as I came back from the bathroom. This was our third time pausing the movie so I could pee.

"Frequent urination is a natural part of pregnancy," Hatori said in his 'doctor' voice.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," I grumbled.

"Anyway it's a good sign you're getting enough water."

"That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Maybe if I stop drinking water I won't have to pee so much!"

"Don't do that," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Of course I'm not really going to do it. Geez do I look like an idiot?"

"No, but-"

"No but's mister. Just start the movie."

Five seconds later

"Nope. No good. All that talk about water, now I have to pee again." I left the room to Hatori laughing. He is so going to get it…later.

FIVE MONTHS

(Hatori's POV)

"I'm home," I called into the house. No response. She must be at Hatsu's place or something. I drug myself down the hallway, my only thought was a nap. It seemed as though half of the family had the flu this year. I, being the only family doctor, had just spent 15 hours straight at my little office or calling on people. I was exhausted. I was surprised that she didn't call me or leave a note by the door. I knew it was probably silly but I couldn't help but worry. It seems like she has been more tired than usual lately… I'll just call Hatsu before I lay down.

I opened the bedroom door and the first thing I saw was the laundry basket tipped over on the ground and clothes everywhere. I took another step in and the bed came into view and with it Inora. She was slumped against the side like she had been trying to lay down but had collapsed before she got there.

"Inora?" I dashed over and knelt next to her. I gently shook her shoulder when she didn't respond. My panic was starting to rise, I shook her again but all that did was make her head roll back in the most disconcerting way. I immediately checked for her pulse and sighed in relief when I found a weak but steady one. She was also breathing deeply. She must have fainted, but I'm not taking chances. I picked her up and laid her on the bed before calling an ambulance.

I couldn't say how long it took for them to get there. Every second that she didn't wake up dozens of worst case scenarios would run through my head. I kept my fingers at her wrist just so I could reassure myself with her pulse until the paramedics arrived. As soon as I let them in everything was a furry of movement and questions.

"Sir, have you noticed anything that might have led to this?" one of them asked.

"Um…" I was distracted by the other two moving her seemingly lifeless form from the bed to the gurney. The sight made my insides turn into one giant knot.

"Sir?" he prompted.

"She's been tired lately, but it didn't seem like it was excessive for someone in her condition," I said while watching them roll her down the hallway.

"And how far along is she?"

"Five months," I stated before rushing out the door after them. I simply climbed in after them without asking and I barely felt us starting to move. About halfway to the hospital, thank god, she woke up.

"Ha'ri," she croaked out, desperately searching the area above her. I leaned over her so she could see me easily.

"I'm here." I grabbed her hand and she griped it tightly.

"Sorry. I should have told you earlier… I don't feel right," she said so quietly that I had to strain to hear her over the engine. Of course, I should have known that she would try to hide it from me. I held off on the lecture that she would need to hear, that can wait until she feels better.

"It's alright, you'll be just fine," I said for my benefit just as much as hers. The ambulance lurched to a halt and before I knew it I was being ushered to the desk while they wheeled her through some doors.

"I want to see her," I told the nurse as soon as I handed her all the paperwork.

"Just a moment," she sighed and picked up the phone. "Wait over there, the doctor will be right out."

"Right," I said sarcastically and almost laughed at the habit I picked up from Inora. I plopped down in a seat, placed my head in my hands, and waited. And waited… and waited some more. Please tell me it's my mind saying it's taking forever and not something seriously wrong with her health.

"Dr. Sohma," someone said above me. I looked up to find Dr. Ootori standing there holding a file with my wife's name on it.

"What are you…" I trailed off. Oh god, the baby.

"Relax, they are both just fine," he said reading my face perfectly. "They thought it had something to do with her pregnancy so they called me in. They were correct, to put it simply, she is malnourished."

"How is that possible? I've made sure she eats what she's supposed to and taken all of the right vitamins."

"I don't doubt that, I know you are a fine doctor. It just appears as though her body isn't absorbing the nutrients like it should. We'll just have to increase the amount she takes and she should be back to perfect health in a week or so. For today, however, I have an injection I will give her to get her back on track faster."

"An injection…"

"Yes. Why?" he asked confused. My mind flashed back to Inora sitting on Shigure's kitchen floor with a dislocated shoulder practically screaming at me to 'just do it' without numbing her.

"It's just… maybe you should let me do it," I said. He just looked at me for a moment before shrugging and motioning for me to follow him. As we walked through the halls I couldn't help but notice all of the doctors and nurses darting around to help the patents. We happened to walk by a room where someone was crashing and I paused as I watched a doctor shout orders as he tried to save the man's life. The doctor finally got a steady heartbeat out of the man and I watched as those around him gave him complements. The doctor simply nodded and went to the next person that needed help.

"Are you coming?" Ootori asked.

"Yes, sorry," I muttered as I caught up to him again. He looked at me for another moment then gave a small smile.

"If you ever feel that you are done being a family doctor let me know. I can help you get your foot in the door here. My father owns the place after all," he said and turned into a room. Work here? I would be saving lives instead of treating the flu and broken ankles. I can't deny that that's an interesting offer.

"Ha'ri," Inora sounded relieved.

"How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?" she chuckled.

"What have they told you so far?" I asked and she gave me a slightly slurred rundown of everything they had told her, she knew everything… except for the injection.

"They said I'll be fine… so why do you look like you have horrible news to tell me?" she asked.

"Well to minimize any risk to the baby Dr. Ootori has a supplement to give you to get you up to safer levels," I started.

"Ok…"

"It's an injection," I said and she groaned and plopped her head back on the pillow. I had been expecting more of a reaction. Maybe in her condition that's all the strength she had… which is disconcerting.

"Isn't there just a horse pill I can take?" she asked, her voice raising a few octaves.

"Pills would take a few hours to absorb into your bloodstream," Ootori put in from behind me.

"Would you like me to do it?" I asked quietly. She thought for a moment before nodding slowly. She let a few tears escape which spoke volumes as to exactly how much she didn't like needles. She will rarely cry in front of me let alone strangers.

"Exactly how bad is your fear of needles?" Ootori asked her.

"It's a phobia," I supplied. "Breathe Inora," I reminded her and she drew in a shaky breath. I disinfected the spot and she stopped breathing again, I decided that if I was fast enough that was fine. He handed me the syringe and she squeezed her eyes shut and tensed all her muscles. I concentrated intently on being as efficient as possible, and thankfully even though the rest of her body jerked slightly as she let out a sob she kept that arm perfectly in place. I handed the empty syringe back to him and he tactfully left to give her a moment.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" I said as I pulled her into my chest.

"Shut up," was her muffled sob.

SIX MONTHS

(Shigure's POV)

"This is the strangest outing I've ever been on," I muttered.

"Shut up, I need it," she said while tapping her fingers impatiently against the table.

"I think 'need' is a strong word for ice cream," I laughed and she ignored me. We were sitting outside under an umbrella with Aya waiting for Ha'ri to come back with her ice cream. She had gotten tired so we decided to wait with her while Ha'ri searched for the 'perfect flavor'.

"Shigure," Aya said in an oddly serious tone. I glanced over and he was staring intently at something on the street. "Isn't that Kana?" he whispered so Inora couldn't hear. I followed his line of sight and found the person he was looking at. That was her alright. Inora curiously looked over to see what we were looking at.

"She…looks familiar," she said quietly. Ah, she must have seen the picture. I knew that Hatori had taken it out of his office right after he and Inora went on their first date. Kana was still a big part of his past, however, so he would have held on to the picture. Inora must have come across it.

"That's…" Aya started but then looked to me, I could tell he was wondering if we should tell her.

"Kana," I finished. She looked at us for a moment before getting up and starting towards her. Aya and I shot each other a panicked look before dashing after her. For being six months pregnant Inora was fast, by the time we caught up to her she was only a few feet from Kana.

"Oh my, look at you! How far along are you?" Kana gushed.

"Six months," Inora replied in an oddly sweet voice.

"Do you mind?" Kana asked gesturing to her stomach.

"Of course not!" Inora said excitedly and grabbed Kana's hand to place it on her stomach. Aya and I exchanged looks, what is going on? "They just started kicking for real about a week ago."

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Kana asked.

"Nope! We decided to wait to know."

"Well that will be exciting. And what's your name?" Kana asked, taking her hand back.

"I'm Inora Sohma," She said sounding… triumphant.

"What a small world. I'm a Sohma too, funny that we've never met. I'm Kana."

"Kana…" Inora muttered while pretending to think about it. "Ah! I think you worked with my husband!"

"Hatori?" Kana instantly asked. Ok so now I see. Inora was rubbing it in this woman's face that she was happy with Hatori. The only problem with that is that Kana only remembers the beginning of their relationship, not that they were in love.

"Yeah! In fact he's around here somewhere…" Inora said and looked around once. I saw a look of satisfaction cross her face as she saw Kana look for him too.

"So Hatori's going to be a dad huh?" Kana asked awkwardly.

"Yup! Ah, the look on his face when he found out. He was so happy," Inora grinned.

"Inora? There you are, what are you…" Hatori said from behind us. "Kana?"

"Oh, Hatori! It's nice to see you again. I was just talking to your wife," Kana said in a slightly higher voice than normal. He shot Aya and me a look before responding.

"It's nice to see you too," he said and handed Inora her ice cream.

"Thanks Ha'ri," Inora said and gave him a kiss before she seemed to shrink into the background to let them talk. Oh she was good. Hatori and Kana had a light, slightly awkward, conversation before she said goodbye and left. I noticed Kana's eyes run over Hatori one last time before she left but he had already turned his attention back to Inora.

SEVEN MONTHS

(Hatori's POV)

"So just two months left huh?" Shigure asked.

"Almost exactly," I agreed.

"Are you worried at all?" he asked.

"I can't deny I'll be a little relieved once the two month point passes…" I said.

"Does she know?"

"I didn't see the point in worrying her."

"Maybe you're right… I don't see why the curse would ever come back," he said and fell into silence. He had come over for dinner, which Inora had insisted on cooking as she was to be put on bed rest in a week or so. She would have to start this earlier then other women seeing as she was so…large. In fact several people, mostly Shigure and Ayame, have been teasing her that she looked like she was carrying twins. Then I would have to inform them that some women carry their children further forward then others, plus the ultrasound only showed one.

After dinner he stayed to play a card game Inora taught us that was played with colorful cards. For some reason you had to say the Spanish word for 'one' when you only had one card left, it seems to me like it would be more strategic for them to not know when you were about to go out. At one point Inora dropped her cards on the table and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Inora? Are you ok?" I asked. She nodded quickly and took a few deep breaths before picking her cards up again.

"Um… who's turn is it?" she asked. We continued the game but I was more focused on her then my cards. After she had fainted around the five month mark I had reminded her that her health was also related to the health of the baby. I knew it went against her nature but she needed to tell me whenever she didn't feel well. She had been doing better at that but I had learned to tell when she wasn't telling me. This was one of those times. A while later it happened again.

"Tell me what wrong," I said after walking around the table to her side.

"It hurts," she panted.

"Does the pain come and go?" I asked and she nodded. I exchanged a worried glance with Shigure.

"This is how that book described contractions but… It's way too early," she muttered.

"Hospital. Shigure, there's a bag on the floor in the right side of the closet, grab it and meet us in the car," I said and started helping her to her feet.

"Hatori, I'm sure it's nothing. It's too early," she said.

"I didn't mention it before but… whenever a member of the Zodiac was born it was always two months early," I said. She stared at me for a moment.

"Hospital," she said and started towards the door.

*time jump*

"False labor?" I repeated. Ootori had rushed in, took one look under the sheet, and informed us that she was not really in labor.

"Felt real enough," Inora muttered.

"This is quite common, and it could happen a few more times before the real thing. Here's a list of the ways to tell them apart," he explained and handed me a pamphlet. "You know most couples are too scared to admit that it might be early labor."

"Let's just say, his family had a history of early labor," Inora said.

"Interesting… anyway you aren't in any danger so you're free to go home," he said and bid us goodnight.

"Well that's a relief," I said.

"Yes… but I would have loved them anyway," she said.

"I know you would have." I gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I was hoping for the tiger," she said causing me to laugh.

EIGHT MONTHS.

(Hatori's POV)

"God my back hurts. I'm gonna go take a bath," Inora said and awkwardly got off of the couch. She was well past the point where she had to stand hips first with her hands behind her supporting herself on whatever she was getting off of.

"Do you need anything?" I asked, looking up from my book.

"No," she sounded tired. She had told me on several occasions she wanted to 'hurry and pop this kid out' so she could go back to normal. About a half a minute later she came back out, stood in front of me, and bit her lip. I knew this look.

"Where is it?" I asked as I got up and led her to the bathroom.

"In the tub," she said. I felt her grab the back of my shirt and bury her face in between my shoulder blades. "It's huge and black." I had to scan the tub a few times before I found the tiny spider she was referring to.

"This little thing?" I asked.

"It's not little. Kill it!" she said.

"You are so weird," I said as I grabbed some toilet paper and squished the tiny bug then flushed it.

"But don't you just feel so manly now?" she grinned.

"Oh yeah. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go swing through some trees on a vine."

NINE MONTHS (early lol)

(Inora's POV)

"This is ridiculous," I muttered to myself. I was looking at myself in the mirror, specifically my stomach that was poking out from under the biggest shirt I owned. I couldn't wait until the end of the month so I could start working on looking normal again. Right now it looked like an alien was trying to come out of me.

"What is?" Hatori said coming up behind me.

"That now I'm as ugly from the front as I am from the back," I said in a teasing tone. But I meant it, and he knew it. I saw him frown before he turned me to face him. He guided me over and he sat on the bed so he was eye level with my stomach and rested his hands on my hips. I put my hands on his arms as he looked up into my eyes.

"You are beautiful. You are carrying our child and to me that is one of the most beautiful things in this world. Don't call yourself ugly. I won't stand for anyone insulting you, including yourself," he said quietly. My eyes stung but I let the tears fall freely. He slowly pulled up my shirt so it was gathered on top of my stomach and kissed right above the bellybutton. Then he slowly turned me around and fresh tears fell as I felt him place several kisses on my scars.

"Thank you," I whispered to him.

"I love you," he whispered back.


	9. Chapter 9

(A/N): All I have to say is…sorry. And two jobs. Ugh. And () = English.

(Inora's POV)

"I'm just not sure…" Hatori muttered for about the hundredth time.

"You're going, and that's final," I said.

"But-"

"No. I don't want to hear another word about it. You've been way too stressed out lately. Let them take you out," I almost pleaded. He had been so worried about every little detail of the upcoming birth. He checks the overnight bag at least three times a day, and he hardly lets me go to the bathroom by myself. He's nervous, it's adorable, but he needs to relax. That's why I asked Shigure, Ayame and Dan to take him out for some fun, and to drag him if need be. Dan had come the yesterday saying that he didn't want to risk missing the birth.

"What if you-"

"Go into labor? You have a phone. And besides I'm not due for another week," I sighed, that had to have been my fifth time saying that in the last half hour alone. I love him to death but right now I just want to tie him up and throw him out of the house. He still wasn't convinced.

"Alright boys. Plan B," I said loudly. Shigure and Ayame popped up on either side of Hatori, grabbed his arms, and started pulling him out of the front door.

"(I guess we'll see how good my Japanese is now)," Dan laughed as he followed them. Dan had surprised us by talking in Japanese when he got here. It turned out that after he got back from the wedding he had found a tutor, another teacher at the high school. It didn't hurt that she was quite attractive either; she had just started my senior year, Ms. Lang. Though Dan just calls her Jamie.

"(You're getting pretty good. Call me if you need any help with translating.) Bye, have a good time!" I called from the door as the four of them walked down the path, I saw Hatori give me one last worried glance before he was pulled out of sight. I sighed as I settled into the couch to watch a movie. However, I was only about 20 minutes in before an intense pain shot through me.

"Uh oh," I muttered after it passed. "That one's real." I reached for the phone and even had Hatori's number punched in before I set it back down. There's no reason to worry until the contractions were…eight minutes apart. Right? I think that's what it was anyway. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I watched the movie and almost forgot about the whole thing until it hit again. 30 minutes, judging from the timer on the DVD player. Ok, I wanted him to relax but this is way too scary to be alone during. I grabbed the phone and tried to call.

Straight to voicemail. Of course. Probably have Shigure to thank for that, probably took the phone and turned it off for whatever stupid reason he came up with. I tried the others, all the same. I will kill Shigure. I dialed again and was overjoyed to hear Momiji answer.

"Hello?" came his cheerful voice. Unfortunately a contraction decided to hit again.

"Momiji…Help," I squeaked out in between pants.

"Inora? Inora what's wrong? Where's Ha'ri?" he sounded panicked. The contraction passed and I took a deep breath before answering.

"I can't get a hold of him. The baby's coming. I need help," I said tiredly. This. Really. Sucked.

"Hang on I'm on my way!" and he hung up. I just hoped that he thought to bring someone else with him. Judging from how long it was taking him he had thought of that. By the time I heard the door open the pain was coming about every 20 minutes. Momiji ran in followed by Hatsu and Kazuma.

"Where are Hatori and Dan?" Hatsu asked.

"Gure and Aya took them out somewhere. Everyone's phones are off," I said then gave a squeal as the pain hit again.

"I know that bar they like. I'll go check there, it's not too far," Kazuma said then ran out of the house. I chuckled as I remembered the bar that Gure took me too the first time I met Aya.

"How far apart are they?" Hatsu asked.

"I don't know… 20 minutes?" I shrugged.

"You haven't been timing them? God, Momiji go get a timer!" Hatsu yelled, looking frazzled. Momiji looked scared as he took off. Maybe I should have called different people? People that could handle stress. I laughed again.

(Hatori's POV)

"Give me the phone and I'll consider not hurting you," I muttered calmly to Shigure who just giggled back.

"I'll give it to you if you take a shot," he slurred, he held out the shot glass to me in a shaking hand. I rolled my eyes at him, he was already hopelessly drunk. He had wasted no time in loading our little table with shots and stealing my phone before starting a stupid drinking game.

"Fine," I growled at him. I grabbed the glass and downed it with no difficulty. One wasn't going to affect me, it was a known fact that I could hold my liquor. "Now give it to me."

"Huh? I didn't see you take it. I'm afraid you'll just have to do another one," he giggled. I was about to grab him and shake the phone away from him when a fist came from nowhere and hit Shigure right across the face. He hit the floor and, given how drunk he was, just started to doze there. I looked over to see a satisfied looking Dan.

"That one still annoys me. Don't see why you stick with him," Dan said slowly. He was still learning the language and he had already taken quite a few shots himself.

"I don't either sometimes," I said as I crouched next to Shigure to search for my phone. I had just found it when I heard Kazuma's voice from above me.

"Hatori! There you are. You have to go, now," Kazuma looked slightly panicked, which made me nervous.

"What is it?" I asked as I stood.

"Inora has gone into labor." I am going to kill Shigure. The moment I've been waiting for, for nine months, and Inora has been alone for possibly a few hours of it.

"Aya, take care of Shigure. Dan, come on," I said and pulled him along as I followed Kazuma out of the bar. Dan still didn't quite get what was going on obviously. I explained it to him as we half jogged back to the estate. I opened the door to Inora yelling insults at… Hatsu of all people.

"Hormones must be kicking in…" Dan mumbled to me. I ran into the living room to see her grabbing Hatsu by his collar and squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them again her eyes locked on me.

"Nice of you to show up. Hatsu how far apart?" she asked giving him a little shake. He glanced down at the timer he had.

"12 minutes," he said.

"I couldn't have been gone for more than three hours, how could you already be down to 12 minutes?" I asked. "And you're not due for another week!"

"I'm pretty sure all of your concerns can be explained by the fact that the BABY get's to DECIDE," she screamed. "Now call the Doc."

"Um, right. The number is in the kitchen," I said unnecessarily. It was odd, being yelled at like that from her. In the time I have known her she has never yelled at me, or anyone else for that matter. Though Kyoya, the doctor, did warn me this could happen.

"Hello, Dr. Ootori speaking," he answered.

"Kyoya, it's Hatori, It's starting," I said a little awkwardly.

"How far apart are they?" he asked immediately.

"About 12 minutes."

"When did they start?"

"Um… about two or three hours ago?"

"… frankly Hatori I am surprised you don't have these things timed down to the second," he said.

"Well I was out and the idiot took my phone," I said a little defensively.

"The idiot? Ah, I assume you mean Shigure?" he asked and I paused. It was amazing how much this guy picked up on, and remembers, from our short conversations.

"Yeah," I finally said.

"Hmm, well either way this seems to be happening rather quickly, which may be due to the false labors she has had. Go ahead and take her to the hospital, I'll meet you there. Try to get her contractions timed better on the way," he said.

"Right," I agreed before hanging up. I went to the bedroom and got the overnight bag and pulled the stopwatch from a side zipper. By the time I got back to the living room she had Momiji wincing in pain as she crushed his arm in her iron grip. Once I saw her relax I started the stopwatch.

"What did he say?" she asked me.

"We are going right now. Help me get her to the car," I told Momiji. We helped her to her feet and out the door to the car.

"Where are Gure and Aya?" Inora asked.

"Oh yeah…" Aya wasn't in the best shape either when I left them. "Kazuma could you possibly go back and make sure they don't get into trouble?"

"Of course," he said kindly.

"And when you get a chance, call and let Kyo and Tohru know."

"Already done," he said before running down the path.

The car ride was oddly quiet. We reached the hospital in record time and no one would have guessed that Inora was in labor just from looking at her. That was until she had another contraction in the lobby while we waited for a nurse to help us. She reached out and grabbed some elderly mans shoulder that was innocently dozing in a chair she was standing next to. He would have jumped out of the chair from the shock and pain of her grasp if she hadn't been holding him there. She finally loosened her grip and sagged against me, Momiji thankfully stepped in and turned his charm on the man.

"May I help you?" I nurse asked with an air of trying to get our group out of her waiting room.

"Yes. My wife is in labor. Our doctor is Ootori," I explained quickly.

"Yes he called a while ago. This way please," she said and went to the wheelchairs and sat Inora in one before hurrying us to a room.

"Get her up on the table. Dr. Ootori will be here shortly," she said stiffly and left us all there.

"Isn't she supposed to wear a gown?" Hatsu asked.

"She just wanted us out of there so the hospital doesn't get a lawsuit," I muttered and started looking for one.

"It's not my fault his shoulder was right in front of me," Inora said.

"Don't worry. I had him laughing about it already," Momiji said with a giggle.

"Thanks Momiji," Inora and I said at the same time.

"Don't mention it. Ah, here's one!" he said and held up a hospital gown. I pulled the curtain and helped her change before Hatsu came around to help hoist her into the bed.

"Almost crushing an old man's collar bone… lovely entrance," Kyoya said as he walked in the room.

"It was not that bad," Inora shot back. I noticed she didn't seem surprised that he already knew. We had learned long ago that there wasn't much he didn't know.

"How far apart?" he asked.

"10 minutes, 20 seconds," I answered with a smirk.

"Very good," he pushed up his glasses. "Let's get you all hooked up shall we?"

For the next five minutes or so he attached a monitor to her stomach and several other areas. When he brought out the epidural Inora had a mini panic attack but then had a contraction, Kyoya quickly put it in while she was distracted.

"Trust me, you'll be glad you had that," Kyoya said as he walked to the monitor. I swear he stared at that thing for a full minute before walking out muttering under his breath. When he came back about five minutes later he went right over and pulled up the sheet that was on top of her. He simply looked for a second before reaching forward, which caused Inora to jump and swear loudly. Ever since she had read about baby's hearing things in the womb she had stopped swearing altogether.

"Geez Doc, you could have warned me," she yelled.

"My apologies, I should have. This is going to go rather quickly, you're almost fully dilated. I have a few other things to see to first, I'll be back in a moment," he said and left again.

"Did he just say something about this happening quickly then leave?" Dan asked.

"Yes, but he knows what he's doing," I said, though Kyoya had me nervous as well. He was acting…strange. He walked back in with a few nurses about ten minutes later and lifted the sheet again, this time Inora was ready.

"Ok here we go. Are you ready?" He asked Inora with a kind smile.

"I don't really have much choice do I?" she smirked back.

"Nope, Ok give a nice big push to start us off." Inora pushed, Kyoya dove to the side.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Several people screamed at once.

"Again I must apologize… I hadn't realized your water hadn't broken yet," Kyoya said calmly. I almost wanted to start laughing, when Inora had pushed she forced her water to break and it shot halfway across the room. In fact I would have laughed if Inora didn't look so humiliated. I glanced around to see that Dan looked like he might vomit, Momiji still looked startled and Hatsu seemed to be trying not to laugh as well.

"It wasn't you fault love," I said to her.

"Indeed it wasn't. That was my fault," Kyoya agreed as he wiped off his stool. He had miraculously avoided getting a single drop on him. "Ok let's try that again." We were about five minutes into the labor when Kyoya paused what he was doing to look at Inora with some amazement.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I was just noticing… she's swearing in English, German, Japanese and is that… Spanish?" He asked and I laughed.

"Yes she is quite gifted with languages." It seemed like after hours of listening to Inora scream Kyoya announced that the shoulders were through. Something seemed off though. I heard my child's cry and I wanted to hold it but Kyoya simply cut the cord and handed the baby to a nurse then dove back under the sheet. Inora was still yelling like she hadn't already delivered the baby.

"Very good Inora. I can see the head," Kyoya said. Everyone but the doctor and nurses froze.

"Head?" Inora asked weakly.

"Yes the-" he paused as he took in everyone's expressions. "Good lord. The nurse was supposed to have told you while I got things ready. She will be written up I assure you. You're having twins."

"How is that…I mean… ultrasound," I couldn't form words right.

"Ah yes. Since you had it so early one was hiding behind the other. This also explains why she had problems with her nutrition. Push Inora," he said. And so the whole process started again. Though this time seemed to be much faster. It seemed like a dream when the second baby's cry's echoed through the room.

"What… are they?" Inora asked tiredly.

"Fraternal twins. You have a beautiful, healthy baby boy, and girl," Kyoya said softly and Inora smiled before falling asleep. "Give me the names then I would suggest going out to the gathering masses outside the door," He told me with a laugh.

"Boy or girl?" Shigure asked as soon as I went through the door.

"What is the name?" Aya shouted.

"Can I hold it?" Tohru asked.

"How's Inora doin?" Kyo asked. It seemed like everyone that Inora had known from Japan was here. All of them were asking variations of the same questions. Kazuma, Yuki, Haru and even Rin were here as well.

"She's just fine, she's sleeping. Of course you can hold them. And as for boy or girl…both," I said and everyone blinked in confusion.

"It's a…'it'" Kyo asked awkwardly.

"No. 'It' is a 'they'. We had twins," I grinned at them and they erupted into noise. I was passed around for hugs and Shigure finally shouted over the noise.

"What are the names?"

"The boy is Hikaru. The girl is (Summer). The English word for summer is sometimes used as a name over there. I thought it was quite lovely, and fitting." I explained.

"Beautiful," they all agreed with grins.


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N): Ugh it seems like I always forget to say things at the END of the chapters when I mean to. So I was going to say that sorry if any of the facts about labor were incorrect. And the part about her water shooting across the room actually DID happen to my aunt. I laughed so hard when she told me that I just had to put that in here. You may recognize the name Hikaru, and if you do: no, there's no relation… unlike with Kyoya. I just liked that name. And now I'll stop rambling.

"They're four months old," I informed the woman that had stopped me in the store. She was the fifth person to ask me and I had just left the house 15 minutes ago. She made funny baby noises at them for a few more seconds before giggling and leaving. I rolled my eyes once she had her back turned. It was nice to brag every once and a while but good lord, after a while it gets annoying answering the same questions again and again. I rushed to finish my shopping and get home.

"Oh there you are. Ah… I guess I won't go to the store then," Hatori said and hurried over to help me in the door

"You're home early, um… do you have a second to talk?" I asked. He glanced at me for a second, it seemed like…concern crossed his face. But it was gone so fast that I couldn't be sure.

"For you, always," he said and took the groceries to the kitchen. I took the kids out of the stroller and settled on the couch with one lounging on each arm. For just being fraternal twins it was extraordinary how much they looked alike. Hatori came back in and eased himself on the couch next to me so he wouldn't shake the kids awake that had just fallen asleep. I watched as he rubbed his eyes for a moment then laid his head back.

"You look so tired," I said and he gave a little chuckle.

"So do you. Twice the baby's, half the sleep," he said and yawned as if to prove his point.

"Well I'm young so I can handle it," I smirked.

"Are you calling me old?"

"Yes," I said simply. He opened his mouth then closed it, he seemed to think for a second before shrugging.

"I honestly can't think of a good comeback for that."

"Ok you are going to take a nap. Right now," I said with a small laugh.

"Well what did you want to talk about first?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. Housewives," I said.

"Housewives?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I am not housewife material. I can't do it forever, I'll go crazy," I explained.

"I know," he said simply.

"You know?"

"Of course I do. I'm married to you, what kind of husband would I be if I didn't know what would make my wife happy? So what were you thinking of doing?" he asked with a smile.

"Teacher…" I said.

"That is a great choice for you," he said like he had known my answer all along. "Though there are a lot of different kinds…"

"Language. I think I qualify," I chuckled.

"Ah yes. English and Japanese perfectly, Momiji has gotten your German pretty good. I don't know about your Spanish though," he said sounding proud.

"It was by far my best before I moved here… anyway, that would mean I would teach high school. Once the kids turn one… we'll get a nanny or something so I can go to school…?" I trailed off awkwardly into a question. Not only would it be his money for college, I want him to be okay with the whole situation.

"That sounds perfect," he smiled. We both jumped slightly when Summer suddenly started crying. Her wails caused Hikaru to wake up as well so the noise doubled.

"She's been so fussy all day, and Hikaru just joins her for fun it seems," I groaned while trying to bounce them lightly back into a calm. Hatori saw I needed a break and offered to take them so I could make dinner. After about five minutes he got them to settle down and I smiled when I heard him talking gently to them. He was an amazing father, there's no doubt in anyone's mind about that. I heard all three of them laughing and stuck my head into the living room to see the adorable sight.

Hatori had moved around so he was kneeling in front of the couch, he had the kids laid down side by side and was taking turns tickling their tummies. I leaned against the wall, grinning like an idiot, as he started up a nursery rhyme with their toes. I listened intently until the end and then laughed.

"What?" he asked with a warm smile.

"Nothing, it's just that Japans nursery rhyme for toes is way better than the States'," I explained. "Some things about pigs and markets and 'wee, wee, wee' that I don't even remember anymore."

"Wee, wee, wee?" he asked. "Sounds… like it could be fun."

"Yeah right, stupid is more like it, anyway dinner's almost done." I finished dinner and we all got settled around the table. I still find it funny that not that long ago Hatori and I would curl up on the couch to eat, and now there are four of us. By the time we finished eating it was time to put the kids to bed so Hatori cleaned up the kitchen while I nursed them and changed them for bed. I laid them in their cribs just as he came back in and we each said goodnight to one and then switched to say goodnight to the other.

"You know," he said as he closed the door a little to block out the light, "I think we have that routine down pretty good."

"Yeah we do, we could do it in our sleep," I laughed. We both plopped down on the couch tired, I cuddled into his side as he put his arm around me.

"Maybe we should just go to bed," he suggested.

"It's too early," I mumbled before yawning, I knew it was a stupid argument. He must have thought so too because I felt and heard him chuckle.

"Does it really matter when you're tired?"

"No," I said but neither of us made a move to get up. I felt his breathing change a little and knew he was falling asleep, and I was close behind him. We both jerked awake about 20 minutes later from a knock on the door.

"Leave it. It's probably just Aya," I mumbled as Hatori moved to get up. The knocking grew louder, and was accompanied by some yelling. I tried to hear what they were saying, when they both grew louder I could just make it out.

"(INORA! INORA I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!)" the voice shouted. I jumped up thinking it was Dan, no one I knew here would be shouting for me in English. I went over and threw open the door about to tell Dan off for not telling me he was coming, but my voice died in my throat. It wasn't Dan, It was Eric. Eric with a gun pointed at my face.

"(Ah, there you are. I'll have to thank that hyperactive blond kid for telling me where you were,)" he smirked.

"(How…how did you…)" I couldn't get my voice to work right.

"(How did I find you? That's what you're worried about right now? Whatever, I guess. At the store you gave that man your name and the Sohmas are pretty big around here. Then once I got to this estate I found a kid that told me where you were. He knew I was speaking English and got your name out of what I was saying. I think he said he was Momage or something,)" he explained, obviously proud of himself.

"Momiji," I squeaked.

"(Yeah that was it… anyway, where's this husband of yours? I'm just _dying_ to see him again,)" he said and gestured for me to turn around. I did and flinched when I felt the cold barrel of the gun press in between my shoulder blades. He guided me into the living room where Hatori was still sprawled out on the couch.

"Who was it?" he asked once he saw me, but then froze when he saw my expression. He jumped to his feet and froze again when Eric appeared behind me. Hatori took on a look of pure rage and started towards him.

"(Ah, ah, ah. Take one more step and you'll be out a wife,)" Eric said with a nasty grin and moved the gun so Hatori could see it over my shoulder. He shoved me hard in the back and I stumbled forward into the room. Hatori grabbed me and pulled me to him as Eric just stood there with that same nasty grin.

"(What do you want from us?)" I spat, feeling a little more confident with Hatori next to me.

"(I want what's mine,)" he said.

"(There is nothing here that's yours,)" I said as fiercely as I could manage. Of course I knew what he was talking about, he wanted me.

"(Oh I disagree, but we'll get to that later. First I'll be needing some revenge for that broken nose your _husband_ gave me. So just step aside Inora, don't want to hit you on accident. I don't like my property damaged.)" He turned the gun to Hatori and Hatori pushed me away from him.

"(NO! Eric don't. Take me if you want but leave him alone," I screamed. Then all three of us froze when the unmistakable sound of babies crying carried out the living room. My scream had woken them up.

"(What is…)" Eric turned and started towards their room and Hatori reacted. He lunged at Eric, trying to keep him away from our children. Eric was startled and turned quickly, I saw his finger twitch before there was a deafening bang. Everything seemed to freeze for a second before, to my horror, I saw Hatori clutch his hands to his stomach. He stood still for another second before he started stumbling backwards. He kept going until his knees hit the couch and he collapsed on it, staring wide eyed at the ceiling and holding his wound. The blood was already starting to seep through his shirt and fingers.

"Hatori!" I ran over to him and placed my hands over his, trying to stop the blood flow. I grabbed the blanket nearby and shoved a wad of it under his hands to help. His breathing was ragged and he was already sweating.

"It will be ok. I'll call-" I cut off into a squeal as I felt arms around my waist drag me away from Hatori.

"Hatori!" I called even though I knew he couldn't help. I was getting farther away from his bloodied, lifeless looking body. I needed him to respond, so I could know he was still alive.

"Hatori!" I grabbed onto the doorframe to the hallway as I was pulled through. Eric gave another pull and my hands slipped, I could see the bloody streaks on the frame from Hatori's blood.

"HATORI!" I called again, it was a cry of anguish.

He never responded.

(A/N): whoo boy. That was probably the saddest thing I have ever written. And I'm still sorry for it being so long in between updates, and that those updates are so small. But I've been getting randomly obsessed with Fullmetal Alchemist… which btw sadly I kept almost making Hatori say Roy like things. That wouldn't have been good, sorry if that came through anyway!


	11. Chapter 11

(A/N): OK….. Apparently I either upset everyone in a way that they were emotionally distraught OR… you are trying to figure out how to find me so you can shoot me for shooting Hatori. Seriously only lyssaloo62 reviewed and she seemed to be… in the distraught category. ANYWAY I hurried with the next one before someone can assassinate me!

(Hatori's POV)

_Hatori!_

I hear her calling for me. I tried to move but my body won't respond.

_Hatori!_

She needs me, but I can't. All I can see is the ceiling but I can tell her voice is getting farther away. He must be taking her. I am oddly calm, and I can't really feel that pain that should be there. Ah… I must be going into shock.

_HATORI!_

She's far away now, and I can hear another sound as well. My children. The love of my life and the children I had with her are crying for me, and I can do nothing for them as I fall into the blackness I couldn't hold back any longer.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

I opened my eyes but shut them right away. It was too bright. I opened them again, slowly this time, and blinked several times to clear my vision. The ceiling was not in my home, it was a bunch of squares. Then I realized that my nose had something in it. It took me much longer then it should have to realize that they were tubes, and that I was in a hospital.

"Ha'ri?" and anxious voice asked. I heard some quick footsteps and a door open, the voice yelled that I was awake. When they came back they leaned over my head and I saw who it was, Momiji.

"Ah Ha'ri, you gave us quite a scare there," another voice nervously chuckled, Shigure.

"How did I get here?" I asked. I don't understand… what happened? I can't remember.

"I found you… After I told the man where you were…well I didn't like the vibe he gave off," Momiji said, sounding thoroughly miserable. What man?

"Hatori…" an older voice asked gently, Hatsu. "Where is Inora?"

Inora? Where was she? Then it all came flooding back. Eric with a gun pointed at her. The look of terror on her face as he pointed it at me and I shoved her out of the way. The gun going off and the bullet lodging in my stomach. Her calling my name as she was dragged out of the house by that monster.

"Inora?" I asked and forced myself upright. I groaned and doubled over as a stabbing pain shot through my stomach.

"Whoa, Ha'ri, take it easy," Shigure said awkwardly.

"Inora!" I yelled. I ignored the pain the best I could and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I started to pull all of the tubes and monitors off of me.

"Hatori, you need rest!" Momiji put in and reached to try and stop me. I shoved his hand away.

"SHE NEEDS HELP!" I yelled and stood shakily. I paused to lean against the bed for support and grabbed my stomach. The pain was so bad I was now fighting not to throw up as well. I took a deep breath and started making my way to the door.

"He's right. You need to stay in bed. Officers are here to find out what happened…" Aya said after appearing in front of me.

"There's no time for that," I snarled at him. He stood in front of the door with a determined look on his face.

"You're not leaving," he said.

"Ayame, get out of my way," I said dangerously.

"No. You can't help her in your condition. Please get in bed and talk to the officers," he responded calmly. I thought for a second and realized he was right. I wouldn't be able to force him out of my way let alone track down Eric and get Inora away from him. I reluctantly nodded and Shigure helped me back to the bed while Ayame went to get the officers.

"Where are my children? Are they ok?" I asked the room.

"They're fine. They're with Kazuma in the waiting room," Hatsu said just as two officers came in. One was younger and tall while the older one was shorter and bald.

"Dr. Sohma, I apologize but I have to ask, the person that shot you…was it your wife?" the older one asked. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and brought his face right up to mine.

"Don't you _ever_ ask that again! That monster came into our home, shot me, and took her. Go find her. NOW!" I yelled in his face. I released him and he stumbled back a few steps. The younger one stepped forward while the other tried to recover a little.

"Do you know anything about the person that took her?" he asked calmly. I gave him all of the information I knew about the man, and they seemed quite surprised I knew so much. Everyone else in the room was shocked beyond words at the new fact they learned about Inora. I didn't leave a thing out in case it could help. Momiji looked close to tears.

"Her uncle, Dan, might know more about him. His number is in my phone… wherever that is," I muttered.

"I'm sure the nurses have it. And if he's been to jail in the states he'll be in their system, he'll be just that much easier to track," the older one said. They gave a few more reassurances before leaving.

"I had no idea…" Shigure muttered. I felt someone grab my arm and I looked over to see Momiji rest his head on my shoulder in a sort of hug.

"How could anyone hit Inora? She's one of the sweetest, most wonderful people I've ever met," he whispered and gave into his tears.

"I honestly don't know," I whispered back, feeling my throat tighten.

"Someone with serious mental issues," Hatsu growled.

"Clearly. A monster, as Ha'ri said," Ayame agreed. Everyone was silent for a few seconds, all lost in their own thoughts.

"Can I… Can I see the kids?" I asked, finally breaking the silence. Momiji jerked upright and ran from the room without a word. He came back in a minute later with Summer followed by Kazuma with Hikaru. I propped up my knees a little and laid them in my lap facing me. They had to be the most beautiful babies I have ever seen, though I suppose I'm biased. They had jet black hair to match mine, as soon as their hair got thicker and we could tell for sure what color it was going to be Inora was ecstatic. She had been hoping they would get my black hair. They also had brilliant blue eyes that looked like they were taken right off Inora. When I held them the first time in the delivery room and saw that, I had actually given a little cheer.

Now I was just hoping to see those eyes again on the woman I love. I picked them up and held them gently to my chest. They stared up at me curiously, like they knew that their daddy's heart was breaking. What if they had to grow up without her? No. I can't think that way. Inora is strong, she'll be ok.

"She'll be ok," I whispered to them, to everyone, to no one, to myself. "She'll be ok."

Time…happened. There is no other way to explain it. I neither noticed or cared about time passing, it was almost like I was existing outside of it. I just laid in the slightly propped up hospital bed holding the kids, they were the only thing that was keeping me from going crazy. So it was possibly a few hours later when Tohru and Kyo showed up, followed not that much later by Yuki. Shigure took them out into the hall to explain everything, when they came back in they looked slightly dazed.

"Your babies… they have such wonderful features. When I saw them they didn't have hair and I couldn't see their eyes. They're beautiful," Tohru commented. I looked over at her and saw Kyo looking over her shoulder curiously. That's exactly what happened last time. He would hover near Tohru's shoulder every time she would hold one, but he always got awkward and refused when someone asked if he wanted to hold one.

"Kyo, come here," I said and picked Summer up from my lap. He edged forward with a suspicious look. When he got close enough I held her out to him.

"Nuh uh. Those things are too… soft," he said while shaking his head quickly.

"Soft?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah… like fragile and stuff. I don't want to hurt her," he said and tried to take a step back but surprisingly Tohru stopped his retreat.

"You won't hurt her," I smiled.

"Kyo just hold your arms out like this," Tohru said sweetly and positioned his arms. I reached out and tucked my daughter in his arms and he automatically adjusted to make a comfortable bed for her.

"See? It's easy. You handle her just like a pro," I patted him on the shoulder but ended up groaning and clutching my stomach in pain. The few more inches I had to reach up for his shoulder stretched out my abs.

"I'll go get the nurse!" Tohru squealed and ran from the room. Kyo didn't notice as he was locked on Summers face who was simply staring up at him. I glanced over at Yuki who was watching Kyo curiously. I remembered that he hadn't held them either.

"Yuki, Come hold Hikaru. He must be getting tired of me by now," I joked. He hesitated then glanced and Kyo's content expression again before walking over. He held out his arms and I placed Hikaru in them. Everyone else in the room watched with warm smiles as the former cat and rat stood side by side with babies in their arms and equal looks of wonder on their faces. The bossy nurse hustled into the room with Momiji a minute later.

"Oh well aren't you two adorable!" she gushed. Everyone was surprised that she was talking about Kyo and Yuki, especially them.

"She's right! You look so happy holding them," Momiji giggled while Tohru nodded fiercely off to the side.

"Now, Dr. Sohma I would appreciate it if you would try to take it easy. If you keep straining yourself you'll never recover," she said briskly.

"But I wasn't-" I tried but she wouldn't listen.

"I'll give you something for the pain, but it won't do much good if you keep trying to move about," she scolded.

"I didn't-" I tried again.

"Honestly doctors are the worst patients. You think they would know these things already! Goodness me," she muttered while putting the meds in my IV drip.

"I do-"

"Now rest. Dinner should be coming around soon," she said as she hustled out of the door again.

"Oh you should have seen your face! You looked like you were being scolded by your mother," Aya laughed.

"I was not straining myself, she doesn't know what she's talking about. I was shot, I think I'm entitled to be in a little pain," I grumbled.

"Why Ha'ri. Are you pouting?" Shigure giggled.

"He is! Look he has his arms crossed and everything!" Hatsu laughed. I sighed and forced myself to uncross my arms, but I didn't respond knowing it would just bring more taunts from them. They were still laughing when the room's phone rang and Momiji picked it up.

"Hello?" he asked. There was a pause then, "Really? So-… uh huh. Oh… ok I'll tell him… thanks, bye." Everyone was listening curiously as he went from excited to worried over thirty seconds. He hung up and looked at me, biting his lip, which isn't like him at all.

"What is it?" I finally asked.

"That was the police. They said that Eric guy was stupid enough to use a credit card to get a hotel room. They looked at some security cameras and saw him and Inora go in… we gave them her picture, see…" he trailed off.

"And?" I asked feeling a little inpatient.

"so they know she's in there and they're going to go in but… they wanted me to tell you that with his mental state he might try to hurt her when he realizes they're coming to get her," he said sadly. Everyone was silent, and I couldn't even think properly. If they were going in now… I should know the outcome within a few minutes right? I couldn't see how it could take any longer than that, it's not like he's some sort of criminal mastermind. I just hope they were taking him seriously though…

"She'll be fine. I'm sure once the cops go in he'll be like a scared little bunny," Hatsu said. "Oh… no offence Momiji." And Momiji actually chuckled once before he started pacing. I wish I could have paced as well but I just had to settle for alternating between playing with my fingers and clutching at my knees. After about a minute of that a hand slipped into mine and held it tightly.

"She'll be ok. She's a strong woman with good instincts," Shigure said. I wish I could know how they all seemed so sure that she would be ok. That man was a lunatic, I wasn't sure about her safety at all. Now that I was paying attention to time again it seemed to creep to a stop. It seemed like after an eternity that the phone rang again, Momiji grabbed it before the first ring was done.

"Hello?" he sounded slightly panicked this time. We all held our breath as a group until Momiji broke into a smile and hung up without saying anything.

"She's perfectly ok!" he cheered with happy tears. I let out the breath I was holding with a half sob half chuckle, she was alright. "They're bringing her straight over here."

"Thank God," I whispered and felt a few tears trickle out of my eyes. It really wasn't that long, but it seemed like it, before the door flew open. Everyone's head snapped up and grinned in unison at the sight in the door frame. Inora ran into the room and, after seeing Summer and Hikaru in the arms of Kyo and Yuki, practically dove into my arms sobbing.

"You didn't answer me. You were just laying there with a glazed over look at the ceiling. I couldn't even tell if you were breathing as he drug me out," she somehow managed to say through her hysterical sobs.

"It's ok…we're ok," I said soothingly as I rubbed her back. She cried herself out slowly onto my shoulder as we held each other. She sniffed and leaned back a little to look in my eyes.

"Don't scare me like that again," she said with a weak chuckle.

"I'll see what I can do," I laughed and leaned forward to press my lips to hers. She promptly grabbed my head in a death lock and I felt her tongue positively demand access to mine. I granted her access, not even caring who might be in the room, and ignored the pain as I clutched her as close to me as possible. If I could help it I would never let her go again. We broke apart to breathe but as soon as we did where we were came crashing back to us. I looked to see amused faces on Shigure, Ayame, Momiji, Hatsu, and Kazuma, and embarrassed faces on Kyo, Tohru, and Yuki.

"Uh…later huh?" Inora whispered to me and I grinned.

"We have forever," I whispered back and she rolled her eyes at my cliché remark.

"Ahem," someone said from the doorway, the older cop stepped in. "Mighty fine woman you have there sir. By the time we got there he was knocked out on the floor. Turns out she was just biding her time until he dropped his guard… until she could kick him in the head. Now, we have this guy on assault if not attempted murder, breaking and entering, and kidnapping. Don't you worry, he'll be going away for a long time. Either here or in the states. Good day to you," he said cheerfully and left. Everyone was silent for a minute before Kyo laughed.

"Kicked him in the head, huh?" he asked with a grin.

"That-a girl. You make your master proud," Kazuma patted her on the back.

"I should have known not to worry," I said and she smiled and gave me another kiss.

"I love you. So much," she said and leaned her head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of her hair, still clutching her to me and stoking her hair.

"I love you too. Words cannot describe."

(A/N): Hmmm. I think that one was one of my better written chapters. Ok so I know I didn't give you much warning but this is _basically_ the end. I have an epilogue thought out cuz I like those. And if you would like, I was thinking of writing a smutty chapter for after he gets out of the hospital…? So if you want that TELL ME! Otherwise how will I know? Lol oh and that last line he said was a paraphrase of what he told her at their wedding while they were dancing…. Yeah. :)


	12. Chapter 12

(A/N): Ok so everyone that reviewed asked for smut. So smut you shall have! This chapter isn't really necessary for the rest of the story so if you don't like reading this type of thing SKIP THIS CHAPTER! Fair warning this will be heavily rated M. Like M x 5. I kept the rest of the story pretty clean so now I'm letting loose! WHOOO!

"Thank god. I thought they would never let me leave," I sighed and took a second to breathe the fresh air in front of the hospital.

"You make it sound like you were in there forever," Inora laughed.

"I was," I grumbled.

"Only a week," she rolled her eyes at me. We climbed into the car and I took off as soon as she closed the door. I saw her smirk out of the corner of my eye, she knew why I was so anxious to get home. Her words from earlier in the week echoed in my head again _"uh…later huh?" _That simple question had me waiting on pins and needles to get the hell out of there.

"Seemed like an eternity," I muttered under my breath and another knowing smirk from her told me she heard me.

"Remember, the doctor said to take it easy for a while," she said with a slightly amused tone.

"Oh please, doctors don't know anything," I said and we both burst out laughing.

"I've… I've been telling you that… for a year," she got out in between her laughter, causing me to laugh harder. We pulled up to the house and I put the car in park before leaning against the wheel still laughing. Ever since I got her back it had been like this, our emotions were all over the place. Easy to laugh, easy to cry.

"Ha'ri," I heard her whisper breathily in my ear. I stopped laughing and felt a shiver run down my spine. "Are you gonna come inside?" I blushed at the double meaning in the simple question. And the way she was whispering in my ear… I was pretty sure that was her intention.

"Uh, yeah," I said and stumbled out of the car. In the back of my mind I found it amusing that she was still able to get me nervous like this. Also for some reason this time seemed a little different. Maybe it was because I had briefly thought I might not ever see her again.

"Hang on," she said once we got in the door. She pulled some sort of black cloth out of her pocket and went to stand behind me. I was about to ask when I saw the cloth in front of my face as she pulled in over my eyes to tie around my head.

"What-"

"Just go with it," she breathed in my ear. I felt her grab my hands and lead me down the hallway, we turned and went a few more steps before she was gone and I heard a door close behind me. I figured she must have led me to the bedroom. She led me forward again and sat me on the bed.

"Don't go anywhere," she said playfully and I heard her move off. I was left to sit and think about what she might have in store for me. As exciting as this was… I kind of hopped that she wouldn't leave me blind the whole time. An errant thought crept into my head, and I decided to voice it before we went further.

"Where are-" I started.

"The kids are with Kazuma. They have seemed to really bond with him, and he with them," she said and I chuckled thinking of how different both of our mindsets were now. The kids came first, even before our own happiness.

"All night?" I asked huskily and I heard her giggle.

"Of course," she purred. I felt her next to me and she guided me backwards on the bed until I was propped up slightly in the middle of the headboard. Hmm… I wonder if she got that idea from me being in that hospital bed for so long. I became curious when she put some pillows behind me and had me lay back.

"Comfortable?" she asked.

"Yes…" I was still trying to figure out what she was doing. She brought my hands together and it felt like my wrists were being wrapped together… then it clicked. I let out a surprised "Oh" followed by her giggling again. The bed shifted and I felt her straddle my waist.

"Remember? You were told to take it easy," she purred and lifted my tied wrists above my head to tie them to the headboard. I was definitely right in thinking that this time was different. I felt her hands trail down my arms to rest on my shoulders for a second before she finally ripped the blindfold off. I literally gasped and let out a little whimper of need at what I saw. She had turned off the lights but had lit some candles around the room. Her hair was cascading around her shoulders and reflecting the candle light in a way that made it look like she was glowing. She was half kneeling on the bed half sitting on my waist wearing nothing but one of my white dress shirts that I love to see her in so much. She had it unbuttoned far enough so it was hanging off of one shoulder.

"Like what you see?" she asked seductively while running her hands down my chest slowly. I tried to respond but found my voice couldn't work, so I was reduced to nodding vigorously. She looked down at me thoughtfully for a second before announcing, "You have too many clothes."

She turned and crawled to the end of the bed to quickly take off my shoes and socks. She crawled back over me slowly in a way that looked positively predatory. She undid the first button on my shirt and leaned down to kiss the newly exposed flesh. She continued unbuttoning, trailing her kisses down until the last button, I shuddered as I felt her tongue slide out and slip under the waistband of my pants briefly. She pulled her head up and leaned forward again to bring her lips close to mine. She brushed hers lightly against mine but I wouldn't have that, I leaned my head forward to claim her lips hungrily.

Our ragged breathing meshed together as our tongues bobbed and twisted together in what seemed like a synchronized dance. I found my hands straining against the rope when all I wanted to do was hold her to me. She ignored my struggles and instead reached down to tease my nipple. I moaned into her mouth as her skillful fingers twisted and rubbed in just the way she knew would get the most reaction out of me. She rubbed her hips lightly against mine and I was surprised that I had been so distracted by everything else I hadn't noticed I was already getting an erection. She must have noticed too as I felt her rub a little harder.

"Ah! Please," I moaned. She sat back a little to look at me with eyes that seemed to have fire deep inside them.

"Please what? What do you want me to do to you Ha'ri?" She asked in a voice that seemed to make my toes curl. It was a voice so full of lust and seductiveness I would not be surprised if I could be brought to climax just from hearing it.

"Please…" I hesitated, not wanting to voice my desires out loud. But this is Inora, she loves me, I really have no reason to be embarrassed. "Please, put me… in your mouth…" I whispered and she gave me a small smile before leaning forward so her lips were brushing against my ear.

"As you wish," she whispered. She kissed her way down my throat and across my chest, she paused to lick at my nipple as she worked off my belt. She undid my pants and I groaned as all of the fabric was pulled away, freeing me from the tight confines. I watched her shimmy cutely backwards until her head was positioned over my now throbbing erection. She slid my pants off the rest of the way and looked up at me to give a little smirk before flicking out her tongue to tease the tip without breaking eye contact.

"God, you drive me crazy," I whispered. She flashed me a grin before suddenly taking the tip into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it. My hips thrust upwards automatically, and I immediately felt bad as I heard her gag slightly but that thought vanished as I felt her swallow around me. She somehow managed to force more of me down as her tongue swirled crazy patterns. Somehow, through all that, I could tell she was struggling.

"Inora… I don't want you to be uncomfortable," I said softly. She pulled her head back and gave me another grin.

"I know baby. I wanted to give that a try though… Oh! And I also wanted to try…" She took me in again so my tip was just barely in her throat then…she started humming. I let out a cry as the vibrations moved up and down my erection. I swear I could feel my sanity pack up and leave.

"It is good huh?" she asked. All she got as a response was my panting. "Good, but I'm not done with you yet." She crawled back up and sat on my stomach, I moaned as I felt her naked flesh on me, already wet from her own desires. She slowly reached up and started on the buttons to her shirt. One by one, agonizingly slow, they came undone until she finally slid the shirt from her shoulders and tossed it off to the side. She lifted herself up slightly and moved backwards. She brushed herself against the tip and hovered there, eyes on me and hair brushing against my chest.

"Please," I whimpered after a second. That seemed to be the right thing to say, she promptly slammed herself down on me. I moaned and she brought herself up again and slammed down again. She moved faster and faster until she found a pace she was happy with. Her hands, which were braced against my hips, seemed like they were burning my flesh.

"Oh god, Hatori," she moaned and tilted her head back. I struggled against my restraints again in an effort to have her in my arms. She continued to slam herself on me and soon her body began to glisten in the candle light, her hair clinging slightly to her chest, and all I could do was watch in wonder. It was one of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen.

"Inora…" I moaned. She redoubled her efforts. "I'm…almost…" She simply nodded and tossed her head back to let out a cry as she climaxed. I felt her muscles twitch around me and that was enough to drive me over the edge with a loud moan. We stayed like that for a few seconds to catch our breath then she lifted herself up again and I felt myself slide out. She leaned forward and finally untied my wrists. As soon as they were free I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my head on her breast. She wove her fingers in my hair and kissed the top on my head.

"That…was…" I tried but I couldn't find the words.

"I agree," she said with a chuckle.

"God I love you," I said softly.

"I know baby. I love you too."

"I know," I whispered and held her tighter.

(A/N): Whoa. Ok. Even I'm a little surprised with how that went. That was intense. AND LONG! For it just being smut I mean. YAY! Please, please, please let me know what you think! I think it went pretty ok! :)


	13. Chapter 13

_**16 years later**_

"MOOOM!" Hikaru yelled down the stairs from his room. Inora sighed from her spot on the couch where she was reading, she looked up and turned her head towards the stairs.

"Yes?" she replied calmly as though she hadn't just been screamed at.

"COME HERE!" he demanded. She turned back to her book as though the whole thing hadn't taken place. A little less than a minute later Hikaru called out again.

"Mom?" he sounded reluctantly less demanding.

"Yes?" She replied again.

"Can you come here please?" he asked.

"Of course," she said cheerfully and hopped up from the couch. She smiled as she passed the wall in between the living room and dining room, the spot where she and Hatori had marked the kids' growth since they had moved into the house. Two sets of lines starting at her knee from when they were one and going up to above her head, both of them had gotten their fathers height. She loved this house, it was very open, the living room and dining room were in view of each other and the kitchen connected to the dining room so the place seemed to make a C shape. There were two bedrooms up stairs plus a little sitting room that the kids had made into a gaming room. The master bedroom was downstairs, sort of on the back side of the house, for which Inora was grateful. That meant their bedroom was far enough away from the kids that her and Hatori didn't have to worry about noise level if they wanted to get…frisky.

She walked into Hikaru's room to find the poor boy slumped over at his desk, with his jet black hair all over the place from running his hands through it in frustration. He had his chin on the desk and was glaring at the papers in front of him with a deep hatred. She walked over and started smoothing out his hair for him and he gave a deep sigh.

"What is it sweetie?" she asked.

"Homework. I've been over this phrase a thousand times but it's just not coming out right," he grumbled. She leaned over his shoulder to look at the words he was pointing at. It was his Spanish homework. She had been surprised to learn that the school offered classes for Spanish but was happy that he had signed up. Both of the kids were fluent in English as well as Japanese. Plus, thanks to her and Momiji, they both knew German pretty well.

"Ah I see what it is. You're trying to treat it too much like Japanese; you're trying to make up for honorifics. Think of it more like English, they're much closer, in fact they have a lot of the same words," she explained. He studied the paper again and then made a few adjustments to it before grinning up at her.

"Thanks. Yeah that's much better," he said sounding almost surprised.

"My diploma isn't just for show you know," she chuckled and shoved his shoulder lightly. She taught English at the high school that the kids went to. He smiled slightly then nervously bit his bottom lip, she knew this pose well. "What do you want to ask me?"

"Next year… I wanted to look into the exchange program," he said and looked at her with pleading eyes.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" she asked.

"Since the beginning of the school year, when they talked to our class about it. I've been going to the meetings and reading all of the stuff available on it since then," he explained shyly.

"Well it seems like you're serious about it. It will be a good experience for you. Where did you want to go?" she asked with a smile.

"America. I talked to the man in charge and he said that I could go to a little town just 15 minutes south of Oregon City, so I can go see Dan a lot," he said excitedly.

"So you're doing the opposite of what I did. Try not to fall in love while you're there," she teased and he rolled his eyes.

"You and dad were a freak accident," he said. She couldn't argue with that.

"Ok, give me all of the information you have and your dad and I will look it over tonight," she said and held out her hands as he placed a stack of papers in them. "So how did that girl take it when you told her? What's her name again?"

"Actually… we broke up a week ago," he mumbled.

"Good lord. That's about the third girl this month isn't it?" she asked and he just blushed. "I think you need to talk about this… but maybe your dad would be better."

"Yeah…" he looked miserable.

"Well he should be home with you sister any second now, talk to him then," she said and patted him on the shoulder before heading downstairs again. She was about to go back to reading when the front door open and she heard a squeal.

"MOM!" was all the warning she had before Summer almost tackled her in a hug. "I got it! I got the part! It's even better than I thought, I got the lead!"

"Sweetie that's great!" she said over her daughters' giggles.

"Yeah the drama teacher, or director in this case, said that my acting was good but my singing is what made me a shoe-in for the part," Summer squealed and jumped in place a little.

"Well you do have a beautiful voice," Inora said with a grin.

"She got that from you," a deep voice said behind her. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist and she turned in them to give Hatori a kiss.

"Ew. Can't you wait to be gooey until _after_ I leave the room?" Summer grumbled then suddenly got excited again. "I'm going to go work on my lines!" She ran upstairs leaving her parents still 'greeting' each other in the living room. Everyone that knew the two were amused, but not all that surprised, that they were still like this with each other even after 17 years of marriage.

"Your son needs to talk to you," Inora said a few seconds after they broke apart.

"About what?"

"Another one bites the dust," she chuckled lightly and he sighed.

"Honestly I always thought Summer would be the heart breaker," he said.

"Well there's always the chance that he's the one getting his heart broken," she said gently and he winced, he hadn't thought of that.

"Alright, I'll go see what I can do," he said and started for the stairs.

"Ha'ri, how was work?" she called and he turned back with a grin.

"Still trying to get used to all the extra work, but I wouldn't trade it for the world," he said and headed up the stairs. He, being just 44 years old, had just become the youngest chief of medicine the hospital had ever seen. He was promoted to the position a month ago after Kyoya Ootori had practically insisted on it. Kyoya, who was now the owner of the hospital, and Hatori had become quite good friends since he had been Inora's doctor. All of the higher ups had been worried at first but Hatori had taken the job in stride, even though he was young everyone looked up to him.

"Hikaru?" he called through the door. He looked in to see Hikaru flying through the rest of his homework.

"Give me a second, I'm almost done," he muttered. Hatori moved to sit on the bed and watched in amusement as his son muttered things in several different languages. "Done," he said with a sigh a minute later.

"You… lost another one?" Hatori asked, getting right down to it.

"Dad, is it just me or are girls really weird?" he asked and Hatori laughed.

"They can be, especially at your age," he said. "But you have to remember that they find us weird as well."

"…did… did you know I have a fan club?" Hikaru blushed.

"Oh?...Oh. I think I'm starting to see…" Hatori muttered.

"Why would they ask me out… if they don't like me for _me_?" Hikaru asked and Hatori sighed.

"Son… you've grown to be an attractive young man. You are going to have to learn to distinguish which girls like you for you and the girls that like what they think you are," he explained slowly. It was true, both of his children had grown to be rather attractive. He had seen groups of girls giggle with each other when Hikaru would go by and Inora had had to restrain him on several occasions when boys would openly stare and sometimes point at his daughter.

"How do I learn that?" Hikaru asked.

"Well first of all, if you've never talked to the girl before she probably isn't for you. Other than that you just… know when a good one comes along," he smiled.

"I'll just know," Hikaru sighed at the obscure answer.

"Trust me," Hatori said as he stood. "One day a girl well worth your time will come crashing into your life when you least expect it." He left Hikaru to think and when he got to the hallway he wasn't entirely surprised to find Inora loitering there.

"'_Crashing' _into your life huh?" she asked as they headed downstairs.

"That is how we met. We literally crashed into each other coming around a corner," he smiled at the memory.

"Oh I remember. Not five minutes after that I was cowering in fear from you. I'm just glad you haven't had to use that memory suppression technique since I've known you," she shuddered.

"There's no reason anymore, thanks to you. But…" he trailed off.

"But what?"

"Well you know my father had that technique and he taught it to me…" he explained slowly as her eyes got wider.

"Good lord Hatori," she hissed at him. "You are not teaching my son how to erase people's memories."

"It's just… I know it isn't really necessary anymore but it seems a shame to lose it out of the family line," he said.

"What would he ever use it for? There's no curse, no secret your family needs to keep. It would just be dangerous for him to have," she said.

"Well… it's… tradition," he supplied weakly. He was pretty sure she wouldn't understand, and he didn't really expect her to. She opened her mouth to snap back but then found herself closing it. He didn't really talk about his parents much… so the fact that his father taught him this must have been important to him.

"Alright. If it's really that important to you," she said softly. "Just make sure he knows how serious this is, AND you are teaching Summer as well. It's not fair that he should get this just because he's a boy and she's a girl." Hatori almost wanted to laugh, she had gone from not wanting it for their son to demanding it for both of their kids.

"It is important to me, and I will."

"Good, now we need to talk about Hikaru," she said with a smile.

"Mom, wears my uniform?" Hikaru called down the stairs.

"Dryer," she called back. He came sprinting down the stairs and into the laundry room. When he came back he already had his pants on and was tugging on his shirt.

"Master's gonna kill me if I'm late…again," He muttered as he forced on his shoes.

"Kyo? He can't be that tough," Inora laughed. Hikaru stared at her like she had gone mad.

"It's different, you're friends with him. But with us…" he shuddered. "Gotta go." He ran out the door without another word to his karate class.

"So what about Hikaru?" Hatori prompted. Inora clapped her hands together and bounced slightly in place.

"He wants to join the exchange program!" she squealed happily.

"Ok, I can see you agree with him going," he chuckled.

"I do. He's very serious about it and he will be going to a spot near Oregon City so he can spend time with Dan. Here's all the information he had," she shoved all of the papers at him. He read through them and was fairly pleased with what he found.

"I think it's a great idea. How do you say this name?" he asked and she looked over his shoulder at the name of the town.

"Molalla. It's a tiny little town, I've been there once," she said. He was about to ask something when Summer came downstairs and stopped in front of Hatori with puppy dog eyes.

"Dad? Can I go to the mall?" she asked sweetly.

"Do you have homework?" he asked.

"I finished it all," she grinned.

"Then I don't see why not. Do you need a ride?"

"Um… no. Someone's picking me up," she hedged causing him to instantly be suspicious.

"Who?"

"A…boy," she said looking a little guilty.

"Oh! What's his name?" Inora asked.

"How long have you known him?" Hatori asked still trying to figure out why his daughter was acting so guilty.

"His name is Ichiro… and I've been seeing him for almost a month," she explained.

"What's he like?" Inora gushed and Summer was about to happily tell her but Hatori cut in.

"Is there some reason you haven't told us about him yet?" he asked sternly. She looked to her mom for support but gave up and answered anyway.

"He's…18?" she said unsure. Hatori looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel.

"That's just two years. You can go to the mall but when he drops you off here later we want to meet him. Alright?" Inora asked calmly. Hatori was going to protest this but she shot him a look.

"Ok! He's really sweet, you guys will love him. I promise," she said and went up stairs to get ready.

"How could you-" Hatori started.

"Do I have to remind you that you are _seven_ years older than me? It's just 16 to 18. Are you saying you don't trust your daughter?" Inora smirked.

"Of course I do. It's _him_ I don't trust," he muttered.

"She can take care of herself. Do you think Kyo would let his goddaughter run around without knowing at least the basics of karate?" she reasoned and he just mumbled under his breath. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Summer came flying back downstairs and up to her parents.

"Thanks mom," she said and hugged Inora. "Bye daddy," she kissed him on the cheek and dashed for the door.

"She knows I can't stay mad when she calls me that," Hatori sighed. "Don't forget the elbow is the hardest part of the body!" he called after her just as she shut the door.

"She'll be fine. She's growing up, they both are," Inora said and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her and kissed the top of her head.

"It seems like it's too fast," he whispered.

"I know. And by seemingly next week we'll be _old_. You way before me, but still," she laughed.

"That will be scary. But I think we can do it, we have each other," he said softly.

"After all these years, and you still manage to say the sweetest things to me."

"It's easy, because I love you," he said.

"I love you too." She gave a content sigh and held him tighter.

(A/N): And that's that! Not gonna lie I had some problems with the ending but I think it ended up alright. SO! I was at work the other day and I was thinking that it would be cool if there was a scene YOU wanted me to write, tell me and I'll give it a shot! It can be from ANY point in time. But other than that this story is… done... yay?

I would also like to take this time...or...space to thank all of my reviewers! Tsukiko13, Dev, Kimmytrainer,and twirlgirl.

A huge thanks to sanchezdianne and sparrowismyhummingbird for giving me awesome comments every chapter!

And a huge, HUGE thanks and a vertual hug to LyssaLoo62 for reviewing every chapter AND every chapter on the last one! You all should say thanks as well because they are the reason this sequel even happened! YOU ARE AWESOME LyssaLoo62!


End file.
